


Miraculously Ladybug

by FAndomTrAsh_MLB



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action/Adventure, Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Angst, Bullied Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 63,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28667892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FAndomTrAsh_MLB/pseuds/FAndomTrAsh_MLB
Summary: The day in question was a Tuesday. Or..was it a Sunday? It doesn't really matter.It doesn't matter that it had been raining. It probably doesn't matter that it was the seventh day of the seventh month, said to be the most dangerous day, the day when over wrought emotions reached their breaking point.To Paris, nothing about the day mattered except for the one thing. It was the day that changed everything.Or more exactly, it was the day Marinette Dupain-Cheng disappeared.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	1. Beginning

The day in question was a Tuesday. Or..was it a Sunday? It doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter that it had been raining. It probably doesn't matter that it was the seventh day of the seventh month, said to be the most dangerous day, the day when over wrought emotions reached their breaking point. To Paris, nothing about the day mattered except for the one thing. It was which changed everything. Or more exactly, it was the day Marinette Dupain-Cheng disappeared.

* * *

It wasn't noticed straight away. It wasn't noticed at breakfast when a harrassed Sabine put a cold plate of eggs out and failed to notice her daughter did not eat them. No one noticed at lunch, when Alya, Marinette's best friend, sat with her boyfriend when Marinette didn't show. Her disappearance went unquestioned around dinner except by one, but he shook off the anomaly as coincidence. In fact, it was a full eleven hours before anyone noticed Marinette was missing. And that was in part, one of the reasons she had left. She wasn't kidnapped. She ran away. And she ran away because of everything. Everything was crushing her spirit, her hope, her belief that good things will come to good people. When her disappearance was reported to the police they labeled her kidnapped, because on paper her life sounded perfect. On paper she was happy. On paper no one need worry about her. So why would she ever run away?

* * *

Marinette wasn't sure when she had woken up. All she knew was she had been laying in the same position for a long time, few thoughts crossing her mind. At one point she realized she was awake, and then she figured she might as well get up. So she did, yawning and stretching, not because she needed to, but to appear more refreshed and alive to her quami Tikki than she actually felt.

"good morning Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed happily. Marinette groggily got out of bed. She was seventeen and was better at designing than ever. Her room was packed full of her designs, ranging from ball gowns to men's shoes. She had been designing more than ever, she had more time given her unexpected isolation from her would-be friends. 

Marinette mumbled a good morning while yanking on a pair of sweat pants. 

Downstairs Marinette found her Maman scrambling around the bakery, business was booming and people from all around the neighborhood came in every morning for breakfast. "Dinner, I mean breakfast is on the stove, Hun," Sabine said while handing a customer her change.

Marinette ate alone and shoveled most of her food into the trash. The walk to school refreshed her more than the disappointing breakfast had. The air was cold enough to bring a pink tinge to her pale cheeks and revive her good spirits. 

She sat down in her seat, windswept, and bright next to Alya and said hopefully, "Hey Alya." 

Alya didn't look up from her phone and said, "Hey girl" without enthusiasm. 

School passed slowly, Chloe had jumped upon Adrien when she had seen him, nothing new there. But when he had pried her off he had said that he was going away for a while, a business trip with his father. This had made Marinette drown in stutters. Trying simply to say she hoped he had fun became as difficult as running a marathon, and yet Alya did not rescue her from herself and instead rolled her eyes. 

"Thanks, Marinette," Adrien said with a brief smile, before turning back to Chloe. Marinette did not begrudge him his good mood. She smiled slightly in resignation and turned away from Alya's smirk. 

* * *

Walking home from school was another kick to the stomach, it had started raining. Every day she tried to think positively, and every day she was given signs of why there was no point. She hadn't brought an umbrella, so she pulled her collar up around her neck, her head down, and scurried toward home. Soon she was drenched to the skin, but she could see the bakery lights only a block away, and felt a wash of relief, even if the atmosphere inside wasn't as warm as the lights suggested, at least she would be home, in a familiar, cozy place.

She was just thinking of snuggling up in her fuzzy white blanket and sketching when a car pulled up next to her. She recognized Lila in the front, a smirk already crossing her round face. Lila's best friends, Baie, Mai, and Odette got out of the car, Lila as well, all four with raincoats and umbrellas and all four looking mutinous and ready for a fight. 

Marinette started to walk faster, hoping they wouldn't be up for a chase. Unfortunately, they were. She got as far as the crosswalk before they caught her. She pressed herself against a building and closed her eyes, stock straight as they closed in. 

"Hello, Lila." She said calmly, but with a trace of anger in her voice. She felt one of the girls come right up next to her until they were nose to nose. Marinette could practically feel the eyes sizing her up, but she didn't open her own. She was crushed, she had thought that she would be able to get home before this happened. 

"Hey Marinette, how's it going?" 

"at the moment? Just peachy" Marinette said, a trace of defiance in her voice. She opened her eyes. All four girls were sizing her up, Lila looked up and down the street, a sideways smile on her face, one that was reserved only for Marinette. 

"What's a, what's in your bag?" Lila asked, her tone still casual. This was a game to them. Marinette wondered whether she should play along. 

"A million dollars, A cure for cancer, the secret ingredient in my macaroons." As quick as a flash Marinette was hoisted up against the wall, her bag torn from her shoulder. When her back hit the bricks Marinette let out a small 'eep' which made Lila laugh, almost cackle. 

"you think you're so tough Marinette. But you're pathetic." The rain was still beating down hard on them. Marinette didn't say anything else, she wanted to get back to the bakery hopefully without looking like a panda. But then her heart plummeted into her stomach as she remembered that Tikki was in the bag Odette was now rummaging through.

She could fight them, maybe win, her strength and agility from ladybug did not entirely disappear when the costume did. But she couldn't risk exposing herself. Never the less, if Tikki was found she would be exposed anyway. She leaped towards Odette but was slammed back against the wall by the others. Before she could defend herself Odette turned the bag upside down.

Homework, papers, sewing things and a box of macaroons fell out, but miraculously, no Tikki. She must have hid somewhere. Marinette sagged in relief but tensed again when Lila bent and picked up a book overflowing with pages. It was her design book. Lila sensed Marinette's apprehension and grinned at her. 

"what's this Marinette?" She asked malevolently. "a book of designs? Oh, this one. I like this one" She said, flipping to a random page. Then, looking Marinette in the eye, she ripped the page out.   
The horror in Marinette's face goaded Lila on. The other girls were laughing, Marinette was frozen in shock. Another page was torn and dropped to the ground. 

"LILA! Stop!" Marinette demanded, but Lila just laughed. Then, desperately, "please" But Lila didn't stop, the pages kept falling, Lila's friends howling, Marinette's feet arched painfully as her feet grazed the pavement. She was still being held against the wall by the other two. She was clawing to be released, but the anger she had initially felt had dissolved into misery, and her struggles were weakened by her resignation.

Lila looked at Marinette with an innocent look on her face, still tearing out pages mechanically, "What? What? Marinette, does this bother you? You belong in the trash with this book." And she threw the now empty book on the ground. Baie, Mai, and Odette threw Marinette forcefully to the ground where she stayed, simply staring at her years of work being washed into the gutter by the rain. Lila stamped on the box of macaroons and then they got into the car and drove away, triumphant and dry. 

Marinette knelt on the sidewalk, rain still hitting her relentlessly. With shaking fingers she tried to pick up one of the drenched papers plastered to the sidewalk. It ripped when she moved it.

The book that she had had since she was thirteen, the book that had drawings of her Maman and Papa in it, the book that had one of a kind designs, the book with pictures of Cat Noir being silly and of Alya failing at baking bread, the book which she shared all of her happiest moments with was ruined. She felt Tikki pet her hair softly, murmuring words of comfort, but they didn't register.

Marinette dragged herself under the awning of a closed cafe, pulled her knees up to her chest, a tear slid down her face, a lump in her throat. She buried her face in her knees as the rain pounded on.


	2. Shakespearean romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir comforts Ladybug

Marinette drug herself into the warm, well-lit bakery, completely drenched. Sabine was helping a regular customer, but Marinette was barely aware of the other person in the room. She was still in shock and didn't realize what a mess she must look. Her shirt was clinging to her, her jacket had been lost and her pigtails had fallen out, leaving her hair sodden and messy, dripping on the floor. Sabine, not looking up from her work said, "Hi honey, how was school?" Marinette stared at her. How was school?

Terrible. Awful. Painful.

"Fine" 

"Why are you all wet? You're making a mess."

"Sorry. I'm going up to my room."

The customer looked concerned and didn't accept the change Sabine was handing to her. She looked like she was going to say something to Marinette but before she could Marinette strode to the stairs and dashed up to her room. She wasn't in the mood for a stranger's pity. Just her mother's. But it was painfully obvious that Sabine didn't care. 

"Marinette, are you alright?" Tikki asked. 

"I'm ok Tikki. But Can I be alone for a while?"

Tikki left and Marinette walked slowly to her couch. The lump in her throat was painful. She sat on the floor next to it, and stared across the room at nothing, tears sliding unbidden down her face. She curled up on the floor, her head resting painfully on the hard surface, and repressed a sob. Unfortunately, this was becoming a routine. 

If she knew what she had done to cause this hatred then she would be able to manage it; make it better. But it seemed to her there was nothing she had done to deserve this. 

A few hours later, after a shower and the rain had cleared up, Marinette pulled her hair into her two pigtails, a little messier than usual, and cried, "tikki, spots on!"

She bounded across rooftops, the cold air rejuvenating her. And then she saw a dark shape leap across a nearby building. Her heart lept into her throat. Chat Noir. She made a B-line for him and he stopped and laughed, jumping and tackling her to the ground. She laughed too and wrapped her yoyo string around him. 

"Awww! You wound me, My Lady!" He cried dramatically as she jumped up and pulled him to her. 

"Hello, Kitty!" She grinned, letting him go. 

"My Lady! To what do I owe this honor?" He asked, giving an over-exaggerated bow and kissing her hand. 

"I had to leave the noble house of Cheng for a short while, my parents, while being of noble stock have been treating me like 'a goodly rotten apple'" She said, playing along. Ever since they had defeated Mr. ShakeSpeare, a villain who quipped insults in iambic pentameter while throwing spears, Ladybug and Chat had been speaking like him to add some poetry to their evenings. 

"'Lord what fools these mortals be'!" Ladybug burst out.

"Oh, my lady, my love, 'The lady doth protest too much, methinks'!" Chat said, grasping her hand and pulling her down to sit next to him.

"'Shall I compare thee to a summers day'?" He asked, gazing into her eyes.

"'What is a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet!'"

"Well then, I hereby dub thee mud!"

Ladybug gasped dramatically and pointed at him calling, "'Cry "havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war'!"

Chat pulled her close and said, "Ah yes, My Lady, but 'a man can die but once.'--but I am no man, if not a man with nine lives--'The course of true love never did run smooth'." They fell laughing at each other's feet, pleased beyond measure with themselves.

\------

After their fit of laughter waned they lay, head to toe; heads propped upon elbows, staring into each other's eyes. "Why are you unhappy, My lady?" 

"I'm not!" She said a little too quickly, and a little too harshly. 

Chat leaned back and shouted to the heavens, "'Frailty, thy name is woman!'" Ladybug giggled and nudged his head with her foot. 

"'I could lick you'!" She said, now stealing from Mark Twain. "I am unbeatable!" Chat exclaimed, flexing his muscles.   
"Nonsense! 'If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?' May I remind you I am in charge?" Ladybug replied quickly. 

"Ah yes, but 'uneasy lies the head that wears the crown'. So tell me, my lady, what's wrong?" His gaze was so intense that Ladybug found herself squirming. She sighed.

"Oh, I don't know, just little things, Chat. My family has been ignoring me lately, and I don't know what I did wrong."  
Chat's gaze softened, remorse filling his eyes, "Yeah, I get what you mean, 'I am a man more sinned against than sinning.'" 

In spite of herself, Ladybug cracked a smile. "Yes, 'we have seen better days'." She sighed and picked at the shingles on the roof they were lying on. 

"My lady, I realize now is not the best time, but I have to go away for a while." Ladybug's smile faltered and died. 

When she didn't speak he went on, "I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'm really sorry, My lady. I don't want to go. But tonight will be our last patrol for a while." 

Ladybug bit her lip and looked away from him, her eyes glossed over with tears, "That's fine Chat." Her voice broke. He was leaving?

"Um, Do you mean," she sniffed, face still determinedly pointed away from him, pretending she couldn't feel his pity and sorrow burning into her, "do you mean, years?" She bit her lip, her throat painfully tight once more. Her heart felt petrified, as though its next beat relied on his answer being negative. At once she was spun around, Chat's hands firmly on her shoulders. Squeezing them, leaning over her, reassuring her of his next words. Their eyes caught, his intense, hers watery, "Of course not, my lady." 

The words tore a watery laugh from Ladybug, a powerful wave of relief washing over her, "Chat you scared me" 

"I'd never leave you for years m'lady!" Chat gaped. He slid his hands from her shoulders and sat back on his heels, offering her his hand. 

The thought of Chat leaving was not one Ladybug wanted to fixate on. So she looked at him and smiled, there was remorse in his gaze. She took his hand, and they stood up together. 

They stood, two feet apart, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally, Chat moved in and hugged Ladybug. She clutched back at him. A minute passed. He pulled away. She wiped her face, regained her composure. 

"You're great, Chat." Ladybug said earnestly, looking into his green eyes. 

He smiled forlornly and said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. I wish I didn't have to go, 'parting is such sweet sorrow.' I fear 'you shall find me a grave man'" 

Ladybug chuckled sadly at the pun and said, "'Now is the winter of our discontent', huh?" Chat let go of her waist and turned away, but she grabbed onto his arm and spun him back around. He could only look startled for a minute before her lips were on his. She inhaled sharply through her nose while they kissed, she standing slightly higher than him on a ledge. She let go of him and whispered, "'I love you more than words can wield the matter, Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty.' 'Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.'" And then she tore away, back to her home, leaving Chat behind.

Let it not be said that she let the sap of reason quench the fire of passion.


	3. On the road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette runs away

Marinette sprinted back to her home, flipping onto her balcony, a dull thud resonating through the building. She waited for a moment before she moved, making sure she had not disturbed her parents, but no one came up to check on her. Detransforming, she threw open her trap door and jumped inside.

She had kissed Chat Noir. Chat Noir. Her best friend for so many years. The boy she had constantly friend-zoned and pushed away. And now, on the eve of her epiphany, he had told her he was leaving. But did she love him? Or was her declaration merely a side effect of her terrible day? she sat shakily on her bed and thought.

Did she love him? And the answer came to her with no uncertainty or conditions. Yes. And the realization was enough to jolt her, her stomach flipping. But he was leaving, and she hadn't stayed around long enough to hear his opinion. Did he still love her? Surely he would be mad. Surely after all this time, he would not accept her, not after she had turned him away countless times. When was the last time he had declared his love for her, she wondered. A month, more?

A sudden dread washed over her. What if he scorned her? But, she thought, he wouldn't do that. He was kind and considerate. Everything she hadn't been to him the countless times she had denied his love. Marinette ran her hands over her face. She was being stupid. He had kissed her back. She had no reason to suspect he would be anything other than thrilled. Ha. That was thinking a lot of herself.

Suddenly she couldn't stand this argument anymore. She knew that the side of her mind that often spoke in Lila's voice would win, convince her of his hatred of her and her unworthiness. So she stood and paced.

How long would it be until she saw him again? A month? Two? More? She said she loved him. This still shocked her. It hadn't been until that precise moment that she had realized it. She loved him more deeply than Adrien, more deeply than Alya, more deeply than her own parents. She was ashamed to admit it, but it was true. She couldn't explain how he had become so important to her, yet all those hours spent screwing around, racing across rooftops and sitting on the Eiffel tower had become the best moments in her life.

She remembered a time they had been perched near the top of the Eiffel tower. She wouldn't let Chat tell her his birthday, but she insisted on getting him a present, so he told her his birth month. She had planned for weeks, and when the first of September rolled around she surprised him with a small present. And then one the next, and the next, and every day for the whole month. While Chat had adored the presents, he liked hanging out with his Lady every day even more. She would hide them in places around the city and give him clues to find it, or she would dare him to beat the Akuma with one hand behind his back, and then she'd give him the present. The whole month had been a whirlwind of excitement and laughter, but one moment stuck out clearly in Marinette's mind. They had been eating a small cake Ladybug had made herself, looking out across Les champs de mars, it was dusk, and Chat was oddly quiet. 

_"Ladybug?" Chat asked,_

_"Yes, kitty?"_

_they sat looking at each other, legs swinging off the edge of the tower, "What did I do to deserve you?" It wasn't a joking question, his voice was intense, his eyes questioning. He wasn't being cocky or silly, but sincere. The change in attitude took Ladybug for surprise._

_"what do you mean Chat? You should be asking what did I do to deserve you."_

_"Ladybug, you're the first real friend I've ever had. This past month has been amazing. In fact, the times I'm happiest are when I'm with you." Ladybug didn't know what to say to that, but Chat didn't seem to need an answer. Even as she struggled to put into words how much she cared about him, he winked, and the soft attitude was gone as quick as it had come. He stood, and held his hand out, she took it and they chased each other across the rooftops, Ladybug's heart lighter and more full than it had been in weeks._

Marinette buried her face in her hands. Why did everything have to end. Why did it seem as though life was tormenting her, just daring her to break? She wondered what she would have done if she could play that night over again. She went over it in her mind. She would have grabbed his hand when he offered it, but instead of running with him, she would have stayed still, pulled him back. He would have been surprised, but then would have understood, his hand coming up to her face, wiping a stray hair away, leaning in, her heart beating. "I love you" she would have whispered. A thump brought Marinette back to reality, her father's head peeking through the trap door, "Awe sweetie what's wrong?"

"Nothing papa," she said, wiping the backs of her hands across her cheeks, drying the newly formed tears. 

"Do you want some milk and cookies?" 

Marinette nodded, gratitude swelling like a balloon in her chest. 

The trap door shut and Marinette lay down on her chaise, her knees curling in. 

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Downstairs Marinette found her father and mother watching a movie, no milk, no cookies. And the indifference her family had, popped the balloon in her chest and she receded back upstairs. 

Upstairs Marinette saw Tikki sleeping on her bed. The transformation had taken her energy, and Marinette hadn't thought to provide cookies. Marinette's eyes fell on the binder of her precious, sodden book. She lifted it up delicately and opened it. All the pages were torn out, and all that was left was the skeleton. She shut it and placed it on her bed. Her eyes swept over her moonlit room. The photos of Adrien, the dolls of Ladybug and Chat Noir, the clothes she had sewed, and her sleeping kwami. She sighed and went to her closet and drug out a black doctor bag. She had made up her mind. She was leaving. There was nothing left for her now. 

Marinette folded and packed some clothes and her sewing kit and a few bolts of cloth. She grabbed a brush and toothbrush and toothpaste. She snuck downstairs and lifted cookies and crackers and also a large wad of emergency money. She poured herself a bottle of water and placed Tikki inside of the bag. Finally, she put on a red pea coat and a black beret. She climbed down the ladder steps as loudly as she could, stomped past her parents watching a show and through the bakery, opened the door and stepped out, slamming the door as hard as she could, hoping against hope that they would call her back, but they didn't, and she walked away without any trouble.

There on the street not far away Marinette saw a torn picture of Chat laying on the sidewalk, Marinette bent and carefully picked it up, opening her bag she pulled out her book and placed the photo in it. 

As the first rays of morning light shone over the city, Marinette heard her phone chime. She opened the message and read it. It was to Marinette's whole class from Adrien:

Hey guys, Father says I should be gone for at least three months :( I'm having a going away party tomorrow, I really hope you all can make it. 

For a split second, Marinette wavered, remembering one day a month or two before. 

_"Odine you are so gross." Chloe was being loud and obnoxious. "I mean just look at you. I'm surprised Kim hasn't dumped you. But then losers flock together. Isn't that right, Marinette?" Chloe laughed, flipping her blond hair across her shoulder._

_Marinette frowned at Chloe. Kim's girlfriend sputtered angrily. Chloe smiled triumphantly and continued, "Didn't he ignore your feelings, like all the time? You actually had to ask him out yourself, how pathetic! And you got akumatized, making all that fuss! No one likes you at all!" And Chloe smirked, "Whereas my Adrikins loves me, and he will be the one to ask me out!"_

_She threw her arms around Adrien who threw her off, much to the surprise of surrounding students. He usually let her hang off him, "Chloe! That's is extremely rude! Are you alright Ondine? " Ondine just shrugged and walked away, glaring at Chloe._

_"But-but Adrikins! she's trash! Just like Mari-trash!"_

_Adrien looked angry. A proper angry, a scowl forming that Marinette had never before seen mar his features. He looked over at where Marinette and Alya were seated, eating lunch. Marinette glared at Chloe and said, "I can't believe you would say that to her! Go and say sorry!" Chloe just laughed and said, "No way, Mari-trash! Adrien and I are going to go on a walk!" And she hung off of Adrien's arm again._

_Adrien once again threw her off and said with a disgusted look on her face, "What happened to you Chlo? No way I'm going on a walk. I'm going to sit with Alya and Marinette, you can join once you say sorry to Ondine. Marinette sputtered and coughed, but lunch went surprisingly well, conversation came easily, and Adrien asked Marinette and Alya to the movies, much to the indignation of Chloe._

That day had only strengthened Marinette's opinion of Adrien. If he was willing to stand up and be there for his friends, they should do the same for him. Marinette knew how hard this move would be on Adrien, and for a second wavered, thinking that she should be there to say goodbye. 

but then, hardening her resolve, she turned off her phone and threw it into a nearby bin, not wanting to be tracked. And if anyone looked out their curtains at that moment they would see a young lady with a doctor's bag, wiping the shining tears from her cheeks as the first rays of sunlight fell upon her feet.


	4. Dumbstruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's thoughts on the matter

In all the years Chat Noir had spent, pining after his lady, deep down he never thought all his flirting would actually come to anything. And yet, she had kissed him. He was almost afraid it hadn't happened. That he had gone crazy.

But when he touched his lips a faint pink came away from her lip balm. He stood flabbergasted as she shot away, a blush crept up his neck. It took a lot to make him blush. She loved him. He gaped after her until she disappeared, then shaking himself to his senses he bolted after her, but she was already gone. 

He stood on top of a tiled roof, his messy hair clutched in his hands, almost hyperventalating. She had kissed him. It seemed surreal. But what did this mean for them? He straightened up and dashed back toward the Agreste Mansion.

Adrien Skidded into his father's office, Gabriel did not look up, "Adrien, Walk out and come back in here like a human being."

But Adrien couldn't straighten up, he clutched his knees, struggling to suck in a breath as a stitch gnawed at his side. He ignored his father's command and instead composed himself as best he could, considering he had just crossed three miles in under ten minutes. 

"How--- how long will we be gone father?" 

Gabriel looked down dissaprovingly at Adrien from where he was standing at his ipad, designing a cutting edge pair of men's loafers, "three months, perhaps more."

Adrien immediately deflated. 

"When do we leave?" he asked dejectedly. 

"tomorrow night. l've had Natalie adjust your schedule so you won't miss your education. You will be going back to homschooling, at least until we get back."

Adrien was throughly put out. Three months. That was more than enough time for Ladybug to decide she didn´t mean what she said. "Can I please invite my friends over to say goodbye?"

Gabriel looked up, contemplating the idea, "Yes, I shall have Natalie arrange a party for you and your friends." 

"Thank you, Father!" Adrien said, and ran out. 

At his computer Adrien typed a message to his classmates, 

_Hey guys, I really don't want to have to go, but father says I'll be gone for at least three months. Hope you don't replace me while I'm gone, haha. I'm going to have a party tomorrow, and I really want you all to come._

Adrien read it through and erased it, he didn't want to appear as pitiful as he really felt. He began again:

_Hey guys, Father says I should be gone for at least three months :( I'm having a going away party tomorrow, I really hope you all can make it._

Yes, that looked better. He sent it and then fell to his bed.

He trusted Nino to come, he was fairly confident that Alya would come. It seemed that Alya and Marinette had been growing apart as of late, but he thought Marinette liked him, so she would probably come.

Chloe would come, and Sabrina would tag along, maybe Lila would also. As for the rest of the class, Ivan, Mylene, Max, Juleka, Alix, Nathaniel, Rose, and Kim, he wasn't sure. While he liked them, he wasn't sure if they counted him as one of their friends.

He sighed, if only Ladybug could be there, but she was adamant that they should not reveal their identities.

Ladybug. 

He sighed. She loved him. She had kissed him. How long had she loved him? She certainly went out of her way to do nice things for him. He loved her, but he found himself afraid of being turned away when he got back, that she would say it was spur of the moment, and that it meant nothing. But it had to him, and he wanted to be with her again before he had to leave. He transformed and jumped out of his house. The sun was peaking up as he swung through the city, toward the Eiffel Tower.

He stopped for a moment to check his baton to see if Ladybug was active, but she wasn't. It was still very early, and not many people were out yet. A young woman wearing a red coat and carrying a bag was walking below him, he couldn't see her face, but from her her hair and the colors she was wearing she reminded him of his lady. She bent down and picked up a paper on the ground, and then carefully placed it in a book from her bag. Chat turned away and sat down, resting his chin on his hand. He knew he would be reminded of Ladybug constantly for the next three months, until he saw her again. 

He closed his eyes, remembering the kiss. The way their lips fitted together, her soft inhale of breath. How his hand had pressed against her back, almost wanting the moment to never end, to never wake up and realize it had been a dream. 

What he wouldn´t do to replay that moment again. He checked his baton again but she still wasn´t active.

He went back home, and had just de-transformed when his father walked in. 

"Get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow." In answer to Adrien's questioning look he said, "Natalie has already gone home."

Gabriel turned to go but Adrien called, "Father, where are we going?"

Gabriel answered, "Lhasa" and then seeing the confusion on his son's face he elaborated, "It's a city. In Tibet."


	5. A kind stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari loses tikki...

The moment Marinette had turned the corner and the orange lights of her bakery was out of sight she had immediately lost confidence.

Where was she going to go? Even if she managed to leave Paris, then what? Even her indifferent parents would have to notice something was amiss when she failed to help them with the bakery after school.

All of her doubt and fear crept up on her, the side that wanted to get as far away from this tormenting place as possible fought with the rational cautious side of her and she slid down the side of a storefront, head in her hands.

But finally, anger won. Why should she stay just to be tormented by people who obviously didn't love her? She stood, and finally decided on a destination, started toward the Gare de Nord, the train station.

The ticket man was late, and the station was barren save for a single man on a bench several yards away. Sighing, doubt gnawing at her gut, Marinette took a seat a bench over from the man. "Italy?" He asked, calling over to her. 

"Germany" she replied.

"Ah. I'm going to Italy. My daughter got me a ticket."

Marinette nodded. 

The man turned back to his newspaper. 

Mari yawned and closed her eyes. 

It was early morning when Marinette woke. She was curled in a cramped position, one foot resting on the ground, the other wedged underneath her, her arms acting as a headrest, torso twisted at a weird angle. For a split second she feared that the person standing in front of her was a policeman, that she had already been found. _Stupid. Couldn't disappear for a day without being found._

But when she looked up she realized it was actually the man she had spoken to the night before, a middle-aged Hispanic gentleman in a crumpled suit.

"Je suis désolé de te réveiller mais tu vas manquer ton train' he said in broken french, _I'm sorry to wake you but you're going to miss your train._

Marinette stretched and rubbed the sleep from her face. "thank you." 

The ticket inspector was not helpful. He sold her a ticket to Germany, but not before asking if she was too young to travel alone three times.

Upon returning to her seat Marinette saw the man in his original seat, now sketching something on a napkin. 

"you said your daughter got you a trip to Italy?" Marinette asked, tucking her legs under herself as she reclined on the bench. 

"Si. My daughter bought me this vacation, and who was I to say no? 

"Why would you say no?" She asked, turning more towards him. 

"Well, my daughter, she doesn't understand. I'm a family man, I stay at home in my villa. You know, before this trip I've never once left Spain. My cousin, Nica, wanted me to leave too. My daughter wanted me to leave so I could have fun, but Nica? No no no" He shook his finger and grumbled, "I am convinced she wants to take over my vineyard. I mean I know she's only sixteen, but oh if she isn't a crafty one." 

"I know a girl who sounds like her, wants to rule heaven and Earth, right?" In her minds-eye she pictured Alya's wily smile, scheming to get Marinette and Adrien together. Mari grinned. 

His eyes widened, "Exactly! of course, Nica wants to manipulate me into leaving to come and see my family here in Paris, little mierda!"

The sketch was taking form, the napkin wrinkled on his knee, his fingers cramped around a short bit of charcoal. 

He was a dark-skinned man. He had short black hair and a stubble beard and mustache flecked grey. He was wearing a rumpled grey suit with a bow tie and an Amaryllis behind his ear.

He seemed like the type of person who could talk for hours, endless stories, endless adventures, endless memories all packed into a calm, happy, simple man who would be passed by unless you knew him personally. 

Marinette already liked him. 

She could see the appeal of Paris to an outsider: glamour, history, architecture. 

Marinette was a designer, she liked allure, impressive buildings, and comfort. She didn't mind roughing it occasionally, but not all the time. If she was going to run away, she would have a destination. 

She imagined that was how a tourist must feel, longing for something bigger and better, more impressive that they could hang on their wall.

But this man with whom she had stumbled into a conversation seemed different, he wasn't preoccupied with the imposing splendor Paris had to offer, and Marinette pictured him appreciating the finer things in life: sunrises, a newly sprouted bean, cool clear mornings. 

She could almost picture a vineyard. 

she smiled.

"How long have you been away from home?" 

"Fifteen days, and I'm already missing Margarita's cooking. This french food is amazing of course, but you could publicize chicken quesadillas a little more if you know what I'm saying." 

Marinette laughed and said, "Who's Margarita?"

"Margarita is my wife. My daughter, Camilla, never wanted to come into the family business of growing grapes, instead, she opens up her own designing agency. Of course, we are proud of her, and it doesn't hurt when she makes me suits.

"She made this one, always telling me to press it before I wear it. Of course I forget! So I turn up to my brother's house in a rumpled suit. Magnifico." He scoffed at himself. 

"Your daughter designs?" Marinette asked excitedly.

"It is her passion."

"I design too, in fact I-" Marinette had her book halfway out of her bag before she remembered what Lila had done. "Oh. Well, I was going to show you my designs, but they're ruined."

"Ah, is this the charming hero of France?" She had opened the book and the picture of Chat Noir had fallen out. 

"Yeah, he's one of my best f-I means I'm a big fan." 

He looked at her observantly, then he leaned back into the bench and stared at the railway tracks, "You know how I met Margarita?" he asked.

Marinette shook her head and he continued, "At a bar. She was the pretty bartender with bare feet, always dancing around, you know the type. I go in for lime water and boom, the glass breaks at her feet. She just standing there, annoyed, while I am cursing and trying to scrape the glass away from her feet with my shoe. Then, boof, a chair pushes back, and she gets hit."

"Oh no!" Marinette cried.

He gave her a significant look and said, "Oh yes, and the next thing you know, she's in my arms. And I couldn't say a word. There I was, all macho and cool stumbling over my words at the sight of her.

"Well, she played hard to get, pretending she didn't notice. Didn't go on for long, because I burst into the bar one day and confessed my undying love for her and got down on one knee, gave her a rose, and asked her to go out with me. And we've been together ever since." 

Marinette didn't know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Instead, she choked, and said, "That's amazing."

He nodded, "Oh I know, Nica always says she wants the ending Margarita and I got. Maybe that's why she's trying to take the vineyard away." He laughed gutturally. 

"Camilla bought me a plane ticket to France a few weeks ago, and I came here to see my brother and his daughter, Alice. I should get back from Italy in a few months" 

"Was she the one who put that flower behind your ear?" Marinette asked. 

He reached up and grabbed it, studying it, "Ah, yes, I forgot it was there. She waved me goodbye this morning when I came to the train station. My brother owns a flower shop with his wife, you know."

"My family owns a bakery, I live above it and design clothes. That is what I want to be. I have already made many of my designs, one of which was a suit you might like," She added, which drew a laugh from him. "I act the same way around my crush the way you did your wife, but I still haven't told him I like him. Besides, I think I like someone else more." 

"Ah, the famous Chat Noir." 

"You must think I'm silly." 

"Oh no no, I once had a crush on Wonder Woman. Oh, she was a feisty one. She came to Spain when I was around sixteen. Oh, she showed up with her red and yellow skirt and her striped mask.

She was an eagle, I heard they made her into an American movie, after the show about her mother, but she wasn't fighting in the second world war, she was fighting against Polilla. She defeated him some years back, he was sent to someplace called Drapchi Prison, I think somewhere in China. There was some romance between Wonder Woman and me, but I ended up choosing Margarita instead."

Marinette looked shocked. Didn't Polilla mean Moth? And there being another Miraculous wielder, well, that was odd. She should find out where Drapchi Prison was and investigate. 

"That's amazing! So you actually knew a hero personally?" 

He smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye, "Ah yes, and am I correct in saying that you do too?" 

Marinette blushed and nodded. 

"We hang out a lot. He is one of my best friends." 

It was at that moment that the ticket man finally decided to be helpful, and yelled at them that they should get a move on. 

They both stood up and Marinette adjusted her bag and he smoothed out his jacket. Holding out his hand, he said, "I am Alejandro, and it was lovely talking to you." 

Marinette took his hand and shook it, "I'm Marinette, and I hope I'll see you again." Alejandro smiled and handed her the flower from behind his ear. Marinette, beaming, took it and placed it behind her own.

"Goodbye, Marinette, and good luck." And he waved and walked away.

Marinette noticed the napkin he had been drawing on was still on his seat.

She flipped it over, on it was a smudgy mess. She turned it three ways before she realized what it was. A deck, a woman below carrying a child, and behind her a stunning Vinyard. The contents of the picture hadn't been clear to Marinette before, but now it was. To Alejandro, It was home. 

Marinette walked up to the sleek white electric train and stepped aboard, feeling exhilarated and exhausted all at once.

She sat down and the flower fell out of her hair. She picked it up and placed it inside her book along with the napkin, hesitating before closing the binding. The picture felt powerful, drawing her gaze, daring her to look away, but it wouldn't be until weeks later she realized why.

She lay down on two seats and curled up. The trip was four hours long, might as well take a nap. She dreamt of Spanish bars, of red and yellow skirts, of a vineyard, a sassy girl, and of a man by the name of Polilla.

* * *

The first sense that made it through Marinette's clouded mind was a compressing loudness: chatter, wrappers, the shuffling of feet. She opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings: Feet, Legs, Light. Cricking her neck, Marinette sat up. She had been lying at an odd angle, her bag stuffed under her head. She was sitting in the brightly light train. A sign blinked above an old man's head, "Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof" 

So she had done it. She had run away. Five hours ago she had been in Paris, five hours ago she could have turned around and gone home, five hours ago she had been a good kid. But now? Was she a rebel? She couldn't help giggling inwardly at the thought. 

Talking to Alejandro had calmed her nerves slightly and made her forget her plight, but now that she had followed through--now that there was every possibility that police would catch her--she was nervous. She didn't want to go back, yet now her future seemed daunting.

The train had just arrived, and people were filing in and out, a young woman was already waiting patiently for Marinette's seat.

Marinette exited the station without too much trouble, following the signs to the terminal. 

The station glimmered white and futuristic. It was fantastic. When she pushed open the double doors she was met immediately by the sun. she walked a few steps, her hand coming up to block out the gleam. Her vision adjusted just in time for her to leap out of the way as a taxi roared past her, the driver shouted something in German that did not sound too pleasant. 

Ok, now what? Marinette furrowed her brow. Only now she had actually executed her plan did she realize that it hadn't been much of a plan at all. It had been more a sketch. What had seemed simple when she was emotionally wrecked didn't seem as straight forward now. 

She stepped back into the building and sat bent over on a bench, her head in her hands. She had to think. 

Should she go back home?

_"Marinette you are such a JOKE."_

_Lila's nose was an inch away from Marinette's. They were in the student parking lot behind the school. It was lunchtime. Lila had caught Marinette alone minutes before and had taken her chance to pounce. Marinette did not back away when Lila entered her personal space. Instead, she stood her ground and looked Lila in the eye,_

_"Lila I know you don't like me. But maybe if you thought about it for a minute, you'd realize we could get along. I haven't done anything to you, I don't see why we can't just work things out." Marinette's voice was strong and chirpy._

_"Marinette I don't think you get it. It's more the fact you exist." Lila's face contorted: Sour, yet amused Marinette could be so obtuse._

_"Lila listen, we can work this out. It's ok. Is there... something troubling you?" Marinette could see every minute detail of Lila's face, could see the way her eyebrows tensed, her lip curled up, her nose flared. It was a look of pure loathing._

_"Yes. You're alive."_

_"Listen I-"_

_Lila's face seemed to fly away from her. Mari's back curled, her arms reached out, her eyes, which had been looking for a sign of decency in Lila's face, now only found sky. Her back hit the pavement._

_She had not been prepared for it, and as she struggled to pull air into her lungs, Lila loomed above her._

_"I don't think you're getting the picture. I'm not doing this because 'something is troubling me'." She mocked, "I'm doing this because you are worth NOTHING. You fail at everything. You are a joke. You are an abscess at this school; everyone hates you. Just look around."_

_She smirked, "Things are not going to go your way." And then she was gone._

The whole affair had not broken Marinette's spirit. It had hurt and confused her, but what broke her was Alya's reaction.

After recounting the entire story indignantly, Alya's reaction was not even close to sympathetic. On the contrary, she seemed to want what was best--not for Marinette--but for Lila, _"Lila needs to cool it; she's not going to win student president if she keeps this up." And that was the end of the conversation._

No. She couldn't go home. Not now. But what other options were there? 

Outside, Marinette hailed a taxi and climbed in. The second her back touched the leather, she remembered she didn't speak German. How on earth could she have overlooked the language barrier? How stupid did she have to be to not remember that very crucial component to any trip abroad? 

A memory flashed through her head.

"You can be as dense as a loaf of bread, it doesn't mean you're stupid." 

This phrase had been recited to her one day when Adrien had stopped over.

" _Hey, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! Is Marinette here? Alya said to give her her textbook." Adrien held up said book to solidify his story, and Sabine smiled and pulled him inside._

_"Yes, she's up in her room. But, er, I'll go get her." She said, thinking of all the posters tacked up in her overly-dramatic daughter's room. Sabine climbed the ladder to Mari's room and opened the trap door,_

_"Marinette dear, Adrien is here to see you."_

_As expected Marinette fell off her chair, a thunk which could probably be heard down in the bakery._

_"Ok! Be down in a minute!" She called to her mother's retreating smirk. When she got downstairs Adrien was standing sheepishly with the book in his hand._

_"Hi, Adrien!" Marinette squeaked,_

_"Hey, Marinette! Alya said to give this to you." He held out the book. Marinette jumped for it a little too enthusiastically, and the book fell._

_They both bent to pick it up and smacked heads. They jumped away holding their heads and shouting apologies, Sabine watching amusingly from the doorway._

_"Oh my gosh! A-are you hurt? That would be terrible! You would have to be rushed to the hospital room, and what if they had to amputate?! You'd have a lobotomy and you'd become a slug and you'd have to get bangs for your photoshoots and we'd never see each other again!" She wailed dramatically, hanging her head, only to look up at the sound of laughter._

_Adrien's eyes were squeezed shut and his hand was on his chest as he laughed, Marinette smiled tentatively and Adrien brushed the tears from his eyes, bent down, and picked up the book._

_"I'm fine, Marinette." He said, grinning. He handed her the book and waved, "See you tomorrow." and walked out the door, Sabine still laughing behind Marinette._

_Marinette threw herself on the floor and cried, "It's not funny! How can he not see that I like him? Is he stupid?"_

_Sabine said with just a hint of laughter in her voice, "You can be as dense as a loaf of bread, it doesn't mean you're stupid."_

_"You're right. I'm sorry for calling you dumb Adrien! I love you!" She exaggeratedly blew a kiss toward the door as she got up, her mother still laughing._

Marinette was on the verge of asking the driver if he spoke french when she realized something which made her heart flip and her stomach drop. She didn't have her bag. Which meant she didn't have her money or clothes or, "Tikki!"

Marinette swung herself out of the taxi before the door had properly closed and dashed back inside, praying the train hadn't already departed. But when she reached the platform the train was gone. 

Everything seemed too bright. Marinette's head started to hurt. She had lost Tikki. She had LOST Tikki. She ran a hand through her hair and slumped onto a bench. 

How could she have forgotten Tikki? Tikki, who even now might be confused, scared, and hiding as someone rifled through Mari's bag. A tear dropped onto Marinette's knee. And then another one. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them at bay. But they came none the less.

She buried her face in her knees. After a few minutes her tears subsided. She rested her elbows on her knees and pressed her palms to her eyes. 

A tap on her shoulder made her look up. A woman stood over her, looking concerned. She had a lovely dark long face with large eyes and a strong jaw, her hair was curly and pulled back into a bun, her eyebrows were thick and not plucked, her lips plump. The Indian woman said something in German, but Marinette couldn't understand it. 

"I'm French," She said, wiping her eyes. The woman smiled and said, "Oh, well I was asking if this bag was yours." Marinette looked down, clasped in two brown hands with dark green nail polish was Marinette's doctor bag.

Marinette lept up, "Yes! It is! Oh, thank you!" She reached for it, opening the clasp and peering inside. Snuggled in a t-shirt was Tikki, still miraculously asleep. 

"I saw you leave it on the train, we've been trying to find you."

The lady smiled, "My name is Aditi." she held out her hand.

Marinette closed the bag and took Aditi's hand. She sniffed, and said, "Marinette." She instantly regretted it, she should have said a fake name. 

It was then she noticed Aditi was not alone. Three people stood behind her.

"These are my children, Karun, and his sister Diya, and my husband Samir."

Two children walked shyly out from behind her, they looked about six years old. The girl looked like a miniature of her mother, while the boy had sandy dark hair and big ears.

The husband, Samir, was shortish and had slightly yellow teeth, a bulbous nose, and light stubble. The whole family was dressed finely, and Marinette knew she was going to like them.

Aditi was wearing olive green gaucho pants and a green dress embroidered in gold with a sash around her waist. Samir was wearing a dark blue, red, and gold kurta pajama. Diya was wearing a paisley embroidered strappy shirt with a red elbow-length shirt underneath and a red skirt. Karun had on a simple kurta pajama. 

"It's so nice to meet you. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have my bag! Thank you for finding it. I don't suppose you have a language handbook on you? I speak barely a word of German." 

"I'm sorry, we don't. Where are you trying to get to?" 

"I don't know, the airport I guess." 

Aditi glanced at her family and then said, "Why don't you come with us? You can stay the night and we'll take you to your plane in the morning."

Marinette felt doubtful, should she really go with strangers? But the memories of Lila came back forcefully. She definitely didn't want to go back to that, but without help, it seemed she would have to. So she took a chance. After all, what did she have to lose?

"That would be wonderful! This is amazing! Thank you!"

The entire happy family beamed at her.


	6. What's the catch?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya calls Adrien

Adrien felt elated and entirely big-headed. It wasn´t a bad feeling. He was grinning ear to ear, the entire class had shown up for his party. Well, everyone except for Marinette, but if she wasn´t late he would have reason to think she was an imposter.

There were tables of mouth-watering food placed out in the front lawn, but so far no one had touched them, all instead filtering around Adrien. It seemed the class didn't want to let him go, which was very ego-inflating for him. 

He had to say, the party was amazing. Nathalie had outdone herself and only with a few hours. He had to remember to thank her. Several hours before, Adrien had privately wondered as he watched Nathalie hire the DJ and set up tables, whether anyone would even come; or whether all Nathalie's work had been for naught. But the natural bonhomie of the party assured him that his friends had come, not to be regaled by the most popular DJ in town, but to see him off. 

Adrien was in the middle of a gulp of punch when someone slapped him on the back, "hey dude," said Alya. 

"Oh for- Alya come on" Adrien groaned lightheartedly, wiping punch from his face. 

"Nino says I should call people ´dude´ until you get back, and he´ll call them girl. We´ve decided we´re not just going to sit around crying inconsolably, we´re going to make bets on your return."  
"For what?"  
"Losers have to set up a pizza party for you at the park when you get back."

"And if you win?"

Alya winked, "Well can´t go telling you that can I? It's a surprise." Adrien grinned.

"Everyone is already making bets on how long Kim and Alix will last; they're betting they can go the whole time you're away without kissing. So now everyone is making the same bet, which is terrible for Nino and me"

"So when I get back I´m gonna be surrounded by a bunch of people kissing?"

"You know it Agrest."

Adrien laughed, ¨Yeah, everyone is a couple now I guess. I think the only people who aren't is Alix, Chloe, Me, and um oh yeah, Marinette. Wait does Marinette have a boyfriend now?¨

Alya's smile dropped a fraction. 

Adrien began to tick guys off on his fingers, 'Nooope, she doesn't. But that's almost the entire class with no kissing. How will you survive?" He laughed, and then he saw that Alya's smile had been replaced by a scowl, her brows tightly knit, "What did I say?"

Alya picked at one of her nails, apparently, it was more interesting than their conversation, "You didn't say anything wrong. It's just Marinette and I aren't friends anymore.¨

"Wait, What? When did this happen?"  
"Few months ago. Guess I just got bored of her."

"Why would you say that?"

"I just-"

"Where is she? Isn´t she coming?"  
Alya seemed to have had enough. "Dude," She said brusquely, her eyebrows raising, "Why should I care?"

"I'm gonna go find Nino," Adrien said uncertainly, not bothering to hide his confusion. 

"Whatever dude," Alya said and walked off. 

Minutes ago Alya had evinced kindness, good-nature, and humor. Marinette always brought out the best in people, it didn´t make sense. 

Adrien found Nino and asked him about it. 

"Girl, why do you want to talk about Marinette?" he asked over his shoulder as he scooped up some punch. 

Adrien frowned, "I want to know how she's doing since Alya has stopped being her friend."

"Honestly dude--I mean girl, don't tell Alya I messed up.--Honestly, I don´t think anyone cares right now." He shrugged. 

Adrien was left completely bewildered. He just couldn´t see how anyone could hate Marinette.

* * *

A while later when it was time to go, everyone hugged him tearfully and some gave him presents. Adrien couldn't help but tear up himself, and he was glad to reach the confines of the car with tinted windows, so his friends couldn't see him hastily wipe the tears away. He was happy, but there was a part of him that was still worried about Marinette. But he was sure she was fine. Probably making cookies for the class or something. 

That argument wasn't strong enough, so Adrien pulled out his phone and scrolled to Marinette´s contact. 

_Adrien: I wish I could have said goodbye! How are you doing?_

He shut off his phone and leaned his head against the window. 

The private jet was already waiting for them, and it didn't take them long to get off the ground. Gabriel didn't like being around Adrien too long, and he was sitting in a different section of the plane.

As soon as the plane had leveled off, Plagg stuck his head out of Adrien's jacket.

"Well. Did you order Camembert? Because I am h-u-ngry!" Adrien laughed and tossed him a piece of cheese, which he happily caught.  
"I wonder what Tibet will be like. I bet it's crazy awesome! Maybe I can ride a lion!" He said, almost jumping out of his seat in excitement.

"I think you're more likely to ride a mule if you're in Tibet." Plagg said, and Adrien blushed, "Yeah, hehe." He leaned back into his chair and plucked a grape from a bowl. "Until then, I'm going to take a nap." 

"And I will join you," Plagg said, zipping to rest in the cupholder. Adrien reclined the plush leather chair and turned on his side to face the window. His last thought before he fell asleep was that even though he would be gone for a while, all his friends would still be there for him and that nothing will have changed.

* * *

Several hours later, Adrien was woken by his father. He stood, like a machine, in front of him, barely inclining his head to look at him. "We are flying into some bad weather, we have to stop in Bhutan." Adrien rubbed his eyes and sat up. His father looked dismayed at his ruffled state, as though it was immoral to wrinkle designer clothes.

"Alright." Adrien managed before he yawned. Gabriel went back into his cabin, and after a few moments, Adrien heard the fasten seat belt instruction. He groggily sat up and buckled, Plagg shifting in irritation at the movement. 

The plane descended and Adrien closed his eyes, not wanting to watch as they hurtled toward the ground. He had no trouble traveling at breakneck speeds high above the ground as Chat Noir, but flying was a lot scarier when he wasn't in control. 

The plane leveled the runway and came to a smooth stop. Sheepishly Adrien released his grip on his seat belt, his knuckles white.

A car was already waiting, and before Adrien knew it he was sitting on cold black leather. Rain poured down outside the windows. Adrien sighed and sank into the seat, closing his eyes. He was still too tired to care much where he was. 

Suddenly his cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the number. It was Alya's. 

In all the commotion of leaving, Adrien had forgotten his strange conversation with her. 

"Hello?" He answered.

"Adrien?" Alya cried, it sounded like there was a commotion going on around her.

"Alya? What's wrong?"

"It's Marinette! Adrien, she's missing." And through the broken connection, he could hear sobbing.


	7. Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly cant be bothered with summaries

It was dusk in Germany. Two miles from Stuttgart, across fields of mustard, high on a lush hill overlooking the city's sparkling skyline sat an old castle. A glimmer shone from one of the ivy encrusted windows. Looking out, was Marinette. 

The castle Marinette was staying at certainly exceeded some two-bit motel, it had been converted into a hotel, a prime location. The castle was rustic and rich. Creamy carpets, auburn sofas. In the nicer rooms there hung chandeliers.   
Marinette sat on the window seat, watching the sky.   
She was only a few hours from Paris, but she felt thousands of miles away. Even the sky seemed different when paired with the sloping red thatched town.   
She admired the purples fading into burnt pinks and thought.   
There had been no mention of Marinette's disappearance in the news.   
She couldn't help wondering if her parents simply hadn't noticed yet.   
If that were true she would be more than a little hurt.   
Maybe it was too early, maybe it wouldn't be reported in Germany.   
But she couldn't help worrying. 

A knock came from the door, breaking through Marinette's thoughts. Aditi walked in a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. 

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" She was wearing a thick white bathrobe, two steaming cups in her hand. 

"Not at all." Though her heart stuttered. What if Aditi figured out she was a missing kid. Well, she thought bitterly, not officially missing.

Aditi sat down on the window seat adorned with peacock pillows and leaned against the wall, pulling her feet beneath her. 

"What brings you to Germany?" She asked, sipping her cocoa. 

"Traveling, I wanted to take a break before I go to college." Mari lied. 

She felt a little guilty lying, but she knew she couldn't tell the truth. 

"What about you?" 

"Well, Samir is a computer genius, he's a Software engineer, he works for Google. We travel a lot, he has a meeting with the Microsoft corporation, that's why we are in Germany"

"That must be amazing, to be able to travel so much." Marinette sighed. 

"Aren't you traveling?" 

"Only recently."

Aditi observed the girl. She seemed to be hiding something, but Aditi wasn't sure what.   
"How old are you?" She asked. The girl's eyebrows tensed.   
"E-eighteen"   
Ok. Aditi didn't know what was going on with this girl, but she was obviously troubled and possibly lying. She wondered how much to ask. Wondered whether the girl was even ok.   
After a moment's indecision she decided not to say anything about it.

"Well, I hope you are comfortable here." 

"Oh, it's amazing. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Don't bother." Aditi smiled, "we're glad to help. I'm going to head back to my room. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Marinette chirped.

Back in her and Samir's room, Aditi kicked off her slippers. She headed towards the bathroom intent on a shower when Samir called from the bed,  
"Love, come here."  
"What is it?"   
"Look at this."  
Aditi leaned over Samir to see what he was looking at on his computer.   
It was the evening news. Ten minutes before, a story had aired.   
'Marinette Dupain-cheng missing'   
Below the headline was a photo of Marinette's face.


	8. Memories

"It's Marinette. Adrien...she's missing." 

Adrien's heart caught in his throat, it was one of those moments that he imagined happening to other people, but never to him.

Even though he felt as though he had been run over by a tank, it took him a minute to figure out why. When Alya's words finally sunk in he slammed his phone down onto his knee, his thumb on the hang-up button. After a few seconds of staring bug-eyed at the grey leather of the seat in front of him, he picked his phone back up and punched in Alya's number.

The conversation that followed was not a pleasant one. Adrien asked many questions, but Alya didn't have any answers. Indeed she seemed too hysterical to follow the conversation.

"Alya! Listen to me!" He urged as she hyperventilated into the phone, " Everything's going to be fine! I Promise!"

Alya scoffed into the phone. And Adrien understood why. Even he didn't believe his words. 

They hung up a few minutes later, Adrien's hands were shaking.

Even after they got to the hotel and Adrien was sent to bed, his eyes stayed glued open, though what he was seeing was in his mind's eye.

Marinette had been being shunned from her friends, as Adrien knew only too well. 

_"Julika, would you like to sign this petition for me as class president? " Julika snorted and turned away. Looking confused, Marinette turned to Alix, and asked the same question, and got the same reply. Adrien was just as confused as Marinette._

_Throughout the day Adrien saw this happen several more times and had even heard Kim call her several words which Adrien would not repeat in polite company._

_After school, Adrien had gone up to Marinette and signed the paper, and had told her that he would love her to be class president. She smiled awkwardly and thanked him, shuffling away after staring at him for a minute, her cheeks bright red._

But the strange behavior of his friends didn't stop at the end of that day, and within only a few weeks Marinette was as alienated from her classmates as Adrien had been on his first day. 

Although Adrien hadn't approved of his classmates' behavior, he had never become too concerned, after all, Marinette always had Alya, and Alya was all Marinette seemed to need. Indeed whenever Adrien was around Marinette when she was with Alya she was usually so giggly that she couldn't keep her face straight.

At the party, when Alya brushed Marinette off as though she was a bug, Adrien had suddenly realized that he had been wrong in the assumption that she and Marinette were still stuck together like glue. 

What if she wasn't okay? This was the question which he kept circling back to. What if she was hurt or cold or sad? What if they didn't find her? What if they did? He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the painful images of Sabine crying into Tom's shirt, with Marinette's still body at her feet. 

But this was all just speculation. Imagination born from too many Akuma, and too many late nights. Marinette would be alright. He knew she would. Alya would call, Marinette just fell asleep in an odd place and would come tripping into the bakery any minute. But in the back of his mind a small voice reminded him that she had been missing for over twelve hours, and this happening was not likely. 

His heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird's. an odd sensation was seeping into his chest, and he didn't like it. It was warm and stinging and made him want to shout and cry at the same time. 

He had felt this feeling only once before, right after his mother disappeared. He had hoped he would never have to feel it again, for the terror of the unknown was almost more than he could bear. And he knew, he KNEW, that she was going to be found dead, and he KNEW that Alya was going to call and say that they had found Marinette and that she was alive and well. 

This argument slowly wore him out, and his eyes slowly closed. 

Adrien awoke to the harsh ringing of his cellphone. He was alert at once, his hand snatching at the phone and knocking it off the nightstand. He leaned over the bed, Fumbling for the phone, wanting the noise to end, yet afraid to answer. Finally, it was back in his freezing palm. He swiped the green button. 

"Adrien, you need to come back. They found Marinette, she's, she's... She's not looking good. They brought her into the hospital, they don't know if she'll make it through the night" And Adrien was falling, his ears were ringing, he couldn't think, and he fell back onto his pillows.

"Mom! "

The shout woke him up. He was sitting straight up in bed, his heart bursting and steadily slowing. Everything was quiet, the clock was ticking, and the sheets smelled like soap. where was he? He had to save her, to save them! 

He couldn't think straight, and his head was getting heavier by the second. He fell back, sinking into the plush pillows, and fell into an uneasy sleep. 


	9. Aditi

It was hours later, Aditi had not gone to sleep. Samir had a large confrence tomorrow, something about de-bugging his company's mainframe, but he stayed awake with her to help her. 

She always admired his strength, he could handle anything. He was quite an analytical person. He treated his life as if it were a game of chess, or a code that needed decrypted with delicacy as opposed to brute force. 

As a result he rarely made mistakes. She knew he needed his sleep, he had a big day tomorrow, but he was so good. He was so good. And she couldn't help but take the time he so considerately offered.

Aditi twisted her hands, pacing around and around her and Samir's room. 

"It will be ok my love." Samir said, rubbing her shoulder. 

"I thought I was past this, Sam."

"I know. We'll get past this. We'll figure it out." He slowly spun her, his hands clasping around hers to stop the fidgeting. 

"What do I do? Do I call it in?" 

"Do whatever is best for her. And I know you will." Samir's tried to comfort her. 

"It's just," Aditi pulled away to sit on their bed, leaning forward, hands braced behind her, "I don't know what is best for her. Ever since Aarnav," she broke off. 

Samir sat down next to her and pulled her close. She exhaled in his arms and wraped her arms around his neck. 

"My love, it was not your fault. It was not your fault."

"Ok," she took a deep breath. She turned to him, composing herself, " I'm ok. We can go to bed. Tomorrow I'm going to talk to her."


	10. Crooked man

Heads up. You can find this on Wattpad @scarletsongs 

It was midday and hot. Adrien's father was not around. Adrien had been stuck in the hotel for the past twelve hours, doing nothing but watching television in a language he didn't understand. It seemed Nathalie was just going to let him lounge about all day due to the unsettling events of last night, but this was the last thing he wanted. He hated feeling useless. 

Marinette. Why did it have to be Marinette? She was so good. So kind. So loving. Why did the worst tragidies always occur to those Adrien held dear? What had he done to have them ripped away in a fashon not peaceful but harsh and frightening?

The television could not make him part with images of what the future, or even the present, might hold. It's words held no relief. He didn't understand the language, and therefor had no footholes of distraction to help him climb out of his misery. 

Marinette Marinette Marinette. He squeezed his eyes shut. His throat felt tight. She had always had a nice word for him. Always made sure he felt included, was happy. 

They hadn't been best friends. He rarely hung out with her alone, they were usually accompanied by Nino or Alya. But when she missed a day of school his day dimmed. It was subtle. She wouldn't walk in late, wouldn't stutter apologies to the teacher, wouldn't smile awakwardly at him, and it was as though the sun didn't rise. 

On those days he would subconsciously sit just a bit straighter, perched on the edge of his chair. His eyes would flick from the lesson about photosynthesis to the empty doorway. As though she were his sunshine and if she didn't show he would wilt. 

It had been very subtle, but over the past few weeks he had been noticing his connection to her. But he hadn't had time to work it out, to speak to her, because he was gone and now apparently so was she. 

Over everything, he hoped she was alright. God did he hope she was alright!

The neighbors were loud, slamming on the walls and muffled shouts resonating from the orange stained brick. 

Adrien rolled over in the sheets, his cheek against the mattress, his hair plastered to his face. The room was burning. It was an unusually hot day for Bhutan, the curtains were fluttering through the window Adrien had cast open in hopes of a breeze, but instead of alleviating his stooper, all it had done was cause a blinding orange light to shine into his eyes. 

Because of the short notice, Mr. Agrest hadn't been able to get good hotel rooms, but if the room had been cool enough for coherent thought Adrien would have liked his surroundings. 

He looked out the window, the sky was a light grey, contradicting its heat. The streets were a concoction of wealth and poverty, gorgeously intricate buildings laid upon dirty rubble and concrete. 

Adrien rubbed his eyes and sighed. Plagg lay on a cushion in the corner of the room. He was in his element: heat, cheese, and rich furnishings. 

"Are you worried about Marinette?" Adrien asked, his throat cracked from what he said was heat, but Plagg knew to be emotion. 

"Define worried. "

"Do you think she's coming back? "

"Look kid, all you can do is hope for the best, there's not much you can do from here. "

"But are you worried? "

"No. Not really. Sitting in your bag everyday at school eavesdropping has its advantages. "

"What do you mean? "

Plagg just winked. Adrien swallowed and looked out the window. 

"Wanna go for a run? " Adrien asked, though he knew the answer. 

"Oh sure, let's let everyone know that Chat Noir is no longer in Paris, but now mysteriously in the same place as Adrien Agrest." Plagg rolled his eyes and Adrien sighed. He had to do something. He couldn't just sit around anymore.

"Well I'm going, you can come if you want." 

Plagg was not happy. He didn't want to go outside in 90 degree weather. In Paris the average was 50 degrees, so 90 was like being in an oven. Plagg declined, and Adrien shimmied out the window and down the fire escape. 

As his feet hit the pavement Adrien realized that he was high up in the mountains. Not for any particular reason except that the air was so fresh. In Paris there was always a faint smell of petrol, but here his surroundings smelled natural and earthy. 

Adrien began to walk down the narrow street, not sure where he was going, only knowing that he needed to be moving. 

Alya had called earlier, still no news from Marinette, and her parents were going off their nut with worry. 

Adrien was used to being the hero, was used to saving girls and have them throw themselves at him. Many would purposefully put themselves in danger just so he would catch them.

Gone were the days he was just a skinny boy standing in Ladybug's shadow. Over the years he had made a name for himself, no longer the sidekick, they were partners.

But now, without Ladybug he felt unsure, unable to decide what to do without her guidance. What would she do? How would she save Marinette? No matter how tough Marinette was, she was not indestructible, and a bullet would not be impeded by her hardy demeanor.

And that was what scared--that was what terrified Adrien, because no matter how much he wanted to believe that he had grown, that he was stronger and smarter than the little boy who had been given an extraordinary power, he knew he could not handle another disappearance like that of his mother. 

The street sloped downwards, and Adrien took big strides, acutely aware of the faces peaking out from curtains. 

He walked further and further, until the houses became shacks and the roads became rubble. 

He walked until his thoughts were interrupted by the slapping of feet on the hot ground. Adrien looked up. As he had walked lower and lower into the valley, the impressive mountain range seemed to swallow him in shadows; the sun, still high in the sky, obscured from view. The path dipped down farther into a wavy field of yellow, emerging from which was an old man, leathery skinned and weary, a sack of rice on his back, his feet bare. 

Adrien watched the stranger as they continually got closer together. When they reached each other Adrien stopped and offered the old man a hand, he blinked, a gnarled hand coming up to wipe at the perspiration on his brow. 

Adrien closed the distance between them and asked again if the man wanted help shouldering the bulky bag of rice, gesturing to the sack to give context to his foreign words. 

the man waved him off, his beetle black eyes were weary, but he refused to let Adrien help him. He continued on his path, muttering something in Dzongkha. Adrien watched him weave his way up the path, hunched over by the bag, a straw hat on his head. 

It really was a spectacular sight, the greeny grey hills, the brilliant sunlight fading into dusky shadows and the small figure stepping over rocks and around roots, trailing up the path as though walking into the sky. And suddenly Adrien was hit with the force of a bullet as he remembered a poem. 

_There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,_

_He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;_

_He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse,_

_And they all lived together in a little crooked house._

Adrien didn't understand why the poem was so forceful until he remembered one night, a few years before.

_It was dark, Adrien was hanging out with Nino, Alya, and Marinette at Alya's house, Alya and Nino were washing dishes. Adrien was leaning up against the counter and Marinette was perched upon it beside him, her bare feet swaying slightly to a melody only she could hear. It was the first sleepover the four had had together._

_"Alya?" A small voice came from the doorway, everyone looked around to see Alya's little sister Etta standing in the doorway. Alya sighed. "What is it Etta"_

_"I can't go to sleep."_

_"I'm sorry, do you want some milk or something? "_

_Etta shook her head._

_"well what do you want? " Alya asked not unkindly._

_"can you read to me? "_

_"yeah, just give me a minute while I finish these dishes. " Alya threw the towel over her shoulder and turned the hot water on._

_"but Alyaaa" Etta's voice was reaching a high pitch, so Alya turned off the water and sighed._

_"umm, Alya, I can read her a story if you want. "_

_Marinette chimed in._

_"could you Marinette?"_

_"no problem."_

_Marinette leapt nimbly off the counter and walked with Etta back to her room. "_

_Adrien followed and sat next to Marinette on the corner of Etta's bed. Mari tucked Etta in and pulled a book of nursery rhymes from the bookshelf, careful not to wake Elle._

_Mari opened the book to a random page and began to read. Her voice was silvery and she spoke softly. She was straining to read the words in the dim light,_

_Hey, diddle, diddle!_   
_The cat and the fiddle,_   
_The cow jumped over the moon;_   
_The little dog laughed_   
_To see such sport,_   
_And the dish ran away with the spoon."_

_she read many more but eventually she came upon, "there was a crooked man" Adrien had been lulled by her voice, leaning against the edge of the bed he had almost fallen asleep, but he could still remember her voice as clear as day, how beautiful it was..._

And Adrien was jerked out of his reverie by another startling realization. He had seen this place before. Not in a magazine or on the internet, but in a book. A very old book. A book he had found in a secret safe belonging to his father. The same book which held lost secrets of the miraculous wielders. A picture with the same hills, the same valley, the same yellow field, and the same sky.

And suddenly Adrien was running back up the way he had come, calling after the old man.


	11. Plies and punches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari is kidnapped

Aditi hadn't yet managed to talk to Marinette, she was worried to say the least.  
Instead of pursuing the problem head-on, she decided to first question Marinette, and find out why she had run away.  
Aditi usually took her children someplace fun where they could play while their father was at work, and this time Marinette was with them.

Marinette had fully given up on the hope that anyone would notice she was gone. It seemed to her her family and friends simply did not care what befell her.

She was hurt. She had cried well into the night. In the back of her mind she had held a faint hope that her disappearance would jar her family, and make them remember just how much they loved her.

But apparently they did not care anymore. And now Marinette didn't know what to do, she felt utterly unloved. 

She didn't feel like being alone, so instead of catching a plane as originally intended, she went with Aditi and her children to a dance lesson.

Maybe she wouldn't have gone had Tikki stood by her, however, Tikki was frighteningly angry with Mari. Last night she had told her she should not have left, that she was putting Paris in danger, that she was being foolish.

After all they had been through together Mari had been sure Tikki would stick by her now. But Tikki had insisted she was being reckless, and she would have no part of it. At which point Mari had thrown a soft pillow at Tikki.

She hadn't hurt nor wanted to hurt Tikki, Tikki had phased right through it; but afterward, she glared at Marinette with such hurt Mari had instantly regretted it.

"I'm sorry! Tikki I'm sorry!" She was flustered and emotional, afraid she had gone too far.

"You can't do this Marinette. Paris will suffer because of it."

"They don't need me. They don't want me."

"They will."

"I can't go back Tikki! I just can't. I can't go back to Lila, or Alya, or my parents."

"Marinette," Tikki's eyes softened, "you have to."  
And she flew away sadly to a corner of the room while Marinette stood, feeling small, tears coarsing down her cheeks, staring off into space.

In the morning, Marinette had felt so guilty with her behavior she barely knew what to do. She ordered a large plate of double chocolate cookies and left them on the coffee table of her room with a paper on top which read, I'm sorry

Tikki hadn't gotten up to greet her, and Mari left feeling unsettled.

She momentarily forgot her misfortune when she entered the enormous sliver encrusted entryway of the dance hall.  
She stood drinking in the architecture.

Aditi, taking each of her children by the hand, lead them inside. Marinette followed as Aditi walked up to a woman in a black leotard. Aditi said a few words to the woman in German and she checked something off on a clipboard. 

Then, smiling brightly at the children and greeting them she lead them to a back room filled with racks of leotards. “Ok children, get changed” Aditi said, then to Marinette, “why don't you pick an outfit.”

“Did you have an appointment or something?” Mari asked, skimming her fingers along the rows of tutus.

“Every time we go on a trip I book something fun for me and the kids to do while Samar's at work.”

“That sounds like so much fun” Marinette mused, pulling out a pink leotard and then putting it back.

“The kids are happy, and I get to spend time with them” Aditi smiled, pulling out an olive green leotard and holding it up.

“Thank you so much for letting me come.” Mari said, now holding up a gold glittery two piece. 

“Here, why don't you try this one?” Aditi held up a red leotard with black sides.

When they were all changed they walked out onto the dance floor, the woman whose name tag said Bertha stepped out in front of them and said a few quick words in German.

As she talked she moved, walking around the small group and spacing them out. When they were all positioned to her liking she stood in front of them once more. She rested one foot hovering above the ground behind her and held her arms out as though she was carrying a large bowl.

Aditi and the children mimicked her stance, so Marinette hastened to also. 

Although Marinette had a reputation of being extremely clumsy, she kept up with the instructor with moderate grace. 

The entire party was having fun, and as Marinette was not on one of her more interesting voyages, we shall leave them at peace for a moment, and visit more pressing matters than plies. 

Tikki was determined to get Marinette safely back to Paris, even if it meant betraying Marinette's trust. 

She had left in the middle of the night. Going to the only one she knew could help. She only prayed Marinette would take her back after she did what she was planning to do.

* * *

Two hours later, their session at an end, Marinette thanked Bertha in broken German.

Aditi and her children walked out of the building hand in hand, Marinette trailing awkwardly ahead of them. Not sure which direction they were going she had to stop and wait for Aditi to lead the way. 

"I want to thank you for letting me stay with you. I just adore your family."

"Thank you Miss Marinette", the children chimed unexpectedly, happy smiles plastered on their faces.

Marinette couldn't help but beam at them. 

"I think I will try to find a flight to New Delhi today."

"There is no hurry for you to go." Aditi said, a particularly motherly air accompanying her words.

"I would love to stay in Germany for a while longer, but I think I should move on." 

Mari had been away from Paris for only a few days but like Tikki said, there was no longer anyone to protect the city, what with Chat gone also. Marinette's worry was increasing, there had been no attacks from Hawkmoth since she had left, but she couldn't help feeling he was tricking her. Luring her into a false sense of security.

They were walking down a cobbled street, shops on either side. A cafe was ahead of them. Outside the shop were chairs and tables with pealing blue paint placed beneath hanging yellow flowers, purposefully rustic and enchanting. Aditi led the way towards the small bakery. Marinette could smell the scent of jasmine and honey and bread surrounding the bakery, and was immediately drawn to the allure which was so carefully calculated for tourists. 

"Let's sit here for a minute." Aditi said pulling out a chair for herself and signaling for a waiter.  
Mari ordered a croissant and leaned back in her chair. She was worried about Tikki, but for the moment she allowed herself to forget their fight and breath in the refreshing scents eminating from the bakery.

The children ran inside to get ice cream and Aditi siezed her chance.

"My brother and I used to go to a place like this. Back in India. We would sit outside and chew gum."

"I've always wanted to go to India. How is it there?"

"The part we lived in was beautiful. Sandstone buildings laid upon a hill, the higher they got the more intricate and beautiful they were. Elephants would walk with the cars, and their faces would always be painted. I think that was more for the tourists benifit than the citizens, but I always loved them. My brother didn't, he couldn't wait to get away."

"I've felt that way sometimes. I'm sorry your brother did too. What is his name?"

"Aarnov." Mari nodded.

"Why don't you like Paris?" Aditi asked lightly, though she was driving at a more pressing question, why did you run away?

Marinette shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"It's more the people."

"That's what Aarnov said too."

Marinette nodded, uncomfortable.

"We went on a school trip together to China. He liked it there much more."

Marinette sensed something was off about the conversation, although Aditi talked pleasantly she seemed to be more intense.

"I've been to China. My grandma lives there. I can see why he liked it."

Aditi decide to take the bull by the horns. She leaned forwards in earnesty,

"Marinette. Why did you run away?"

Marinette jolted back. Immediately on the defensive.

"I know this is a difficult conversation." Her eyes were kind, "just know I'm not going to turn you in."  
Marinette was taken aback, "You're not?"

"No." Aditi looked sad now, "not until I'm sure it's what's best for you."

"What did your brother have to do with this?" Mari asked, not unkindly.

"He ran away once too. I'm smarter now." She did not elaborate.

"Listen I ran away for a lot of reasons. But I'm fine. I needed to get away. If you really do want what's best for me, please don't turn me in."

"Just help me understand."

"There's so-" Marinette was cut off by the crisp ring of Aditi's phone. Aditi hung up without answering.  
"I- I can't explain it."  
"Marinette, you should go back." Aditi's phone rang a second time.  
"It's Samir. Please sit here for a minute. I'll be right back."

Marinette leaned back in her chair, her hands were sweaty and she felt like she might cry.

But she couldn't go back. Not to Lila. Marinette closed her eyes. Even now she could feel Lila's nails digging into her skin leaving red marks, the threats in her ears, the cornerings after school.

She couldn't go back to her parents. Indifferent, cold, like marble.

She couldn't go back to Alya, always rolling her eyes, laughing with Chloe, giving her false compliments which sounded more like taunts.

She couldn't even go back to Chat. Chat who had left. Who couldn't even understand her difficulties because she feared giving away her identity.

And she couldn't go back to Adrien. Who was always kind to her. Who she couldn't bear to burdon with such things.

No. She couldn't go back. She had to leave.

She stood, her eyes catching sight of Aditi in the shop, her children next to her, a frown on her face as she pressed the phone to her ear.

Then a man came around the corner, a mask over his face, a gun in his hand. For one moment Marinette thought he was an akuma. But he was something much more frightening. He was sprinting, carrying a black duffle bag. Already a police car was pulling up to the curb.  
Two policemen jumped out, guns were drawn. Barricading themselves behind their open car doors one shouted, "Lass die Waffe fallen" 

At that minute Aditi came out with her children, she dropped her phone in astonishment.  
More cop cars pulled up, and suddenly Marinette found herself stuck in a circle of police cars with two little kids, a frightened parent, and a dangerous criminal. The man raised his hands above his head, almost ready to give up, when he changed his mind. The collective sigh of relief stuck in throats and died. And then Marinette was faced with the most terrifying predicament she had ever been in. The criminals gun was leveled squarely at Diya's head. 

"NO!" The strangled shout came from Aditi. She pulled the children to the ground with her, shielding them, reaching for Marinette with one hand. But the man seemed to hesitate, he stared for a split second at Aditi's family before spinning, the masked man's weapon was now pointed at Marinette. She looked into his eyes, soft, brown, and scared. Scared with a gun. Not a good combination. 

"Komm her" Marinette didn't know German, but she knew what that meant. And so, ignoring the orders of the police, she stepped forward and allowed herself to be spun around against the man's broad chest, the gun now against her temple.

It happened in an instant. One second, the criminal was shouting orders with all the authority of a king, and the next he was on his back, Marinette standing over him. She didn't know how to dance, but she did know how to fight. The police seized the moment, already advancing from their cars. Marinette was rushed out of the way, as were Aditi and the children. But before Marinette could even begin comprehending what had just happened on their lovely stroll, she heard shots. Jumping and looking around Marinette saw a cop lying on the ground clutching his knee. 

The criminal was already handcuffed but was holding a gun, apparently having managed to yank it out of a policeman's holster. For a second it seemed like he was convulsing, he dropped to the ground, but then before anyone could get their hopes up, was back, hands now in front of him. 

Marinette wondered why no one had shot him yet, and then she saw the man who had a direct aim. He was sweaty and shaking. No more than twenty. 

Marinette backed flat against the wall, hoping she would just fade out of sight, but that didn't happen. He shot another officer. This time an officer shot at him and missed. A panic had risen. People who had come down the road were now scurrying the other way, screams could be heard along with the wail of the police sirens.

Marinette closed her eyes. Adrien. Alya. Tikki. Adrien. Alya. Tikki. Chat. Breath. She had never fought against an actual criminal before. But she had to try. She had to make sure everyone was safe. With that thought in mind she was about to push herself away from the wall when she was violently ripped away from it. 

The man was backing up, for the second time Marinette was pressed against his chest. 

They kept backing up, Marinette struggling and tripping over his feet.

"Ich werde schießen, wenn Sie sich bewegen" 

He drug them inside a darkly lit building, and slammed the door. Immediately the noise outside was dulled. And the man was suddenly holding on to Marinette's wrist, dragging her along through doors and up stairs. Finally they stopped, but Marinette only had time to say, " Laissez-moi aller s'il vous plaît, vous ne faites qu'empirer les choses" before she was pushed head first out a window onto a flat roof, behind the main street. 

He jumped out after her and was already running again, pulling her behind. Helicopters whirred in the distance. Why was this man getting himself in this much trouble? If he had just dropped the gun when told he would have been much better off. A charge for armed robbery was much less than a charge for having a hostage and resisting arrest and armed robbery and shooting two officers. 

He pulled Marinette low to the ground as a helicopter whirred by. Then they were running again, jumping from building to building, the police still believed they were inside the house. Marinette had a lot of experience at running across buildings, but it wasn't nearly so easy without being transformed and---Wait--Tikki. 

Marinette wrenched her grip from his and ran. Hoping against hope he wouldn't follow her. But right now she was the only thing keeping him alive, and she could hear heavy foot falls behind her. She crashed through a window into a dark room, knocking a vase of flowers to the ground. Scrambling to her feet she dashed into the dark bathroom and locked the door. Fingers fumbling, she opened her purse. 

A moment of silence, penetrated only by the cracking of the door as it was broken down. And then,

"Tikki?"  
Then she remembered their fight earlier. And she knew she was alone.

Already many miles away, Tikki didn't hear the sirens, the screaming, the yells for Marinette from Aditi, the pounding on the bathroom door, or the quiet, despairing question.


	12. Kitchen

Steaming tea poured from a metal pot into a cracked china cup. Adrien accepted it graciously and once again looked around the tiny room. He and the leathery faced old man were sitting in a small kitchen that was stuffy but bathed in sunlight. The old man sat down on the other side of the round table and pulled a thin cigar from an ashtray. He lit up and leaned back, staring at Adrien, his face impassive. 

Adrien cleared his throat, unsure of how to proceed. 

"Do you know my father? Gabriel Agrest?"

The man shrugged, took another puff of his cigar, and got up for the third time since Adrien had been led through the tight nit house to the small kitchenette slash dining room. Adrien sighed and watched him as he padded over to the metal sink to place the now empty kettle in its basin. 

He slowly made his way back and Adrien briefly wondered what he was hoping to get out of this odd encounter. Just because he had seen Bhutan in his father's secret book which was also linked to miraculous wielders didn't mean they were connected in any way. Ha. 

Adrien frowned slightly and shifted in his seat. He was determined to see this out. 

The man sat down again and Adrien awkwardly took a sip of his bitter tea. 

A beat passed and then he stubbed out his cigar. Adrien was silently grateful, the smoke had been making his eyes water. 

Another beat.

Adrien pulled out his phone.   
"Here. Do you know who this is?" A few years ago, in a fleeting moment of pride, Adrien had saved a clipping from the Ladyblog onto his phone. The headline read: LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR: OUR NEW HEROS? 

beneath the captioning was a freeze-frame of the famous duo doing their first fist bump. 

"Ah, Ladybug, Chat Noir."

Adrien sighed a breath of relief. They were getting somewhere at least. 

"Yeah, so do you know why Bhutan was in a book about them?"   
Adrien knew the man didn't know what he was saying, but he honestly didn't know what to do. 

"yes."

Adrien looked up, taken aback. 

the old man squeezed his eyes shut and laughed wheezily. 

"you could speak French this whole time?" Adrien asked incredulously.

"Of course. I lived in Paris for twenty years." And the old man laughed so hard at Adrien's upset expression that he started coughing.

"Ok, well why is Bhutan in the book?"  
"You've seen the book?" 

"Yeah, I found it why?"  
The man looked at Adrien curiously. "That book hasn't been seen for several decades. How did a high school kid find it?" 

Adrien teetered, on the edge of revealing that he had found it in his father's safe.

"Well.." He stuttered, unsure how to proceed. "My mother gave it to my father. He keeps it locked up in his safe, says it's too painful to talk about." After a second he asked, "How do you know about the book?"

"Before I tell you that, Why don't you tell me why you are interested all this."

"My friend went missing, we don't know where she is, and I guess I'm just trying to take my mind off of it." It was partly true, he was trying to take his mind off of it, but he was also very curious as to why he was in Bhutan where this book about him and other superheroes may have originated. 

"I am very sorry to hear that. But I'm guessing that there's more you're not telling me?" 

Adrien looked at his feet and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"No matter, we can talk about that later. For now,"

He got up for the fourth time. Adrien resisted groaning. 

"I will tell you in part what you want to know." 

He walked over to the kitchen window and lifted a dust-covered frame from the ledge. Wiping it off with the corner of his sleeve, he once again was seated. 

"You know then that there are other superheroes than Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"yeah, the book showed a lot of others."

"Yes, and do you know what Kwami's are?" 

"No, What are they?" Adrien lied, feeling guilty. 

"Kwami's are the magical beings that give superheroes their abilities, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Wonder Woman, Polilla, and many others. When I was much younger, I guarded these Kwamis, sometimes with my life.

"I met a man, his name was Wang Fu. We worked together for many years, until one night in Tibet, he and his Kwami Wayzz destroyed our Temple. That book was one of the things that went missing as well as Several miraculous. Bhutan is in this book because this was our backup, so to speak. If anything ever happened to our fortress in Tibet, We would come here. But I waited for many years, Wang fu never came."

He held out the picture he was holding. It was of a much younger version of him and another vaguely familiar man, arms swung around each other's shoulders, grins on their faces, and what Adrien recognized to be Kwamis on either side of them. 

Adrien didn't know what to say. Was it a coincidence that he, Chat Noir, was here in Bhutan where his father had made the plane land? Did his father have something to do here he didn't know about? 

"Mr---"  
" Ugyen Wangdi"  
"Mr. Wangdi, thank you so much, I have to go, but would you mind if I came back later?"

"Of course not. Come in at any time. I am curious as to where your mother got this book. Please return, you may be involved in this."

More than you know Adrien thought as he headed to the door.

He stepped out into the sun. It was calm outside, but Adrien's mind was whirling. Where had his mother gotten that book? And why were they in Bhutan? It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? He was going to ask his father. 

For a glimmer of a second, Adrien felt a bubble of hope rise up in him. He had met someone who seemingly knew everything about the Kwamis and the book and apparently everything Adrien had always felt in the dark about.

He had always had the feeling that everything ran so much deeper than what he saw. But the secrets might be brought to light now that he had met this wise little man. 

His phone buzzed. He pulled it out to see a text from Alya. He opened it. She had sent him a link to a German news station. Curious, he clicked on it. A woman was talking fast, her hair primped and fresh but her eyes remorseful. She was speaking German, and although Adrien didn't know the language, he could tell that whatever she was talking about was important and somber.

The picture changed to that of a small cafe, police cars surrounding the otherwise ordinary block. But the flashing lights and yelling wasn't what caught his attention. What caught his attention was a petite black haired girl with pigtails being dragged backward into a building by a masked man. 

And all at once, that little bubble of hope, popped.


	13. Aarnov

Samir paced outside the conference room, inside were ten very agitated businessmen, all looking to him for answers. Their small eyes followed him through the glass. He felt pinned. Nowhere to go. He tried not to look nervous, though beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He loosened his tie. He needed to talk to his wife. 

Samir stepped around the corner, out of view of the hungry eyes. He leaned against the wall.

The phone rang once, twice, it went to voice mail. Why was Aditi hanging up on him? Then he remembered she was going to talk to the girl they had picked up. 

After what had happened with her brother Aarnov, he knew he couldn´t meddle in this touchy subject. Besides, he trusted his wife to do the right thing. 

He was a little annoyed, a feeling which he tried to push down but which sprang up anyway. It had been months since Aditi´s last panic attack. He knew she wasn´t keeping track, but he was. It would have been a year in a week. But now this girl appeared and brought it all back up. He just wanted what was best for his wife, bringing up old memories, was not it. 

She and her brother had been eighteen, they attended the same college, lived in the same house, and attended many of the same classes. They had been very close. One year, their language studies group planned a trip to China. Aarnov was excited, he loved China, Aditi was stressed. She hadn´t wanted to go that year, any other year she would have been delighted, but that year was the year she was getting married. 

Samir and Aarnov had been good friends, Aarnov approved of Samir. On the outside, Aarnov had been goofy and fun. At least, that was what Samir saw. But one night, only a few months before the incident, Aditi admitted to Samir in confidence that Aarnov had been struggling, with what she didn´t say. 

Perhaps if he would have confronted Aarnov, this wouldn´t have happened. But he was too busy in his studies, too wrapped up in his wedding to have a talk he didn´t want to have in the first place. So he ignored the problem, treated Aarnov normally as if something wasn´t going on that he didn´t understand. 

Aditi never blamed Samir. But secretly, he blamed himself. He could have done something. But he didn´t, and he lost his best friend because of it.

Aditi and Aarnov went to China. That was where it first went wrong. Samir didn´t know the specifics, Aditi couldn´t bear to talk about it. But Aarnov had disappeared one morning, only a few days before their flight was scheduled to take them back to India.

_It was a while before Aditi realized he was missing. She had had coffee, read a few chapters. Later in the day she went to his room and knocked, he didn´t answer. She took a bus to Hangzhou and visited the Lingyin Temple. When she got back later in the day she called him. Their class was going to take a tour of the Forbidden City. He didn´t answer._

_She checked his room. He wasn´t there._

_Days passed, she didn´t leave. Then weeks, she postponed her wedding. After a month with no sign she began to have panic attacks. The police, despite their promises and best efforts, couldn´t find him._

_Then, almost two months after he had disappeared, she found him. He had told her once all he wanted was to live by the Nanxi River._

_She spent the rest of her money on a plane ticket to Zhejiang, a Provence her family had visited once long ago. It was there she found him. He was next to the water, fishing, behind him a large waterfall that cascaded hundreds of feet to the sapphire pool below._   
_She had burst. She fought with him, yelled at him for leaving her, swore at him, and then cried at him, hugged him, begged him to return, but he refused to come back. She wouldn´t accept it. She told him he had to. He had cried. Told her that no matter what, he was not going back. She reminded him of Samir, of their parents who had planned a funeral, of her. He told her he couldn´t go back, but he couldn´t explain why. She called the police, she had found the missing person. He had begged her not to. But she did._

_He stood, arms out, looked her in her eyes, hers wide and scared, his sad, and fell backward off the cliff._

_Samir closed his eyes. The memories were painful. Aditi hadn´t told him what happened afterward, and he hadn´t asked, he could imagine well enough. They had never found his body, he had already washed away into the wild water._

that had been six years ago.

Samir shook himself, he couldn´t backslide. He swallowed, blocking out the unexpected onslaught of memories. He tried Aditi´s phone again. 

"Hi Sam, I´m in the middle of something, can I call you back?"  
Aditi asked.

He cleared his throat, "Hi my love, actually I wanted to talk to you."  
"What is it?"

"There´s trouble at work. One of our servers was hacked, they got everything on one of our biggest clients. I don´t know, I might be here all day."  
There was a pause. He could almost feel Aditi frowning.

¨What does this mean for you?¨  
Samir rubbed his forehead.

¨I don´t know. It could mean my job. I need to do damage control, warn our client, get the police.¨  
"babe," she could hear the stress in his voice, "You got this. You´re the best there is, you've just got to remind them of that."

Samir smiled, "They really cut through us. How´s your conversation going?¨  
"She seems willing to talk at least," Aditi sighed, "We´ll see."

"I love you baby."

¨I love you too. Everything will be fine, go kick some butt"  
"bye my love." 

Next, he had to call the client. A task which was not going to be fun. He straightened, uncrumpling his shirt, straightening his tie. 

He walked back into the board meeting, all eyes following him again. 

Hundreds of miles away, Gabriel Agrest got a call.

* * *

Marinette wielded around, looking for something, anything, to fight with. Her eyes landed on a Chinese vase on the back of the toilet. She jumped toward it just as the door crashed open. The masked man lept for Marinette, his large hand closing around her slim wrist. She was yanked back, the vase out of reach. A hand clapped over her mouth as a helicopter whirred past the window.

Very near to suffocating due to her hyperventilation and the glove over her mouth she bit his hand.   
"Let me go. You'll be in more trouble if you don't."  
She spun around, his eyes were full of fear. A jolt of hope shot through her, maybe she could talk him around. 

"Look, I know you´re scared, but this isn't going to get you what you want. Just let me go." she panted, straining to pull her twisted wrist from his grasp. But his eyes clouded over, and an almost evil glint flashed across them. 

His voice was cold, unfeeling, "you're staying with me."

He spun her back around and this time there was the threat of cold hard metal against her head. She knew if she focused on it she might break down in a panic.

Marinette bit her lip her head whirling in fear and her heart beating harder than ever.

In a rush of adrenalin she swung her head back and smacked him in the chin. His grip loosened and she jumped for the vase, bringing it crashing down over his head. 

He stumbled backward, doubling over. It was the worst thing Marinette had ever seen, blood was trickling down his chin and there was a large dark gap between two red-stained teeth. The fear which had been in his eyes was gone, only the blank anger remained.

Marinette lept across the room towards the door. He caught her and swung her around, she snatched at him only tearing his clothes finally hitting him full force in the side of the head.

Once again she dashed out of the room. She slammed the door behind her. She crawled out the window, unmindful of the broken glass and porcelain crunching underneath her hands. She made it out onto the roof before the door opened. Terrified, her heart beating wildly, she dove across the roof to the ledge. 

Her torn hands caught onto the gutter. Her body swinging over the precipice. The pain from the glass made her release her grip and before she knew it she was falling.

It took only two seconds to hit the ground but it felt like an eternity. 

She landed on her back. Her vision faded out and then returned. She didn't move to get up. Her would-be kidnapper was leaning over the gutter, staring right into her eyes. 

if you broke your back you're dead, but if you don't try to move you're dead. Ok. You can do this. Ready? 1 2 3 go. 

Marinette bent her arm and hoisted herself up. She waited for the pain to hit, but it didn't. At once she stumbled out of the ally she had landed in, and the robber, deciding the jump would be too risky, backed away from the ledge and ran the other direction.

Marinette flew through alleyways and main roads, hitting people as she ran. She ran until her breath gave out and then she flung herself into a dark alcove and caught her breath.

She backed further into the five-foot-wide space between two buildings. Two garbage cans were the only decor. Crouching down behind one of them she waited in silence. Her clothes were ripped and her hands were bloody but she was not yet exhausted. Fueled on adrenaline she waited, ready to run at any moment. But the longer she waited the slower her heart beat. And the fear began to set in. The realization of what had happened hit her full force and her breath came in strangled gasps.

A tear slipped from her eye and she fell back against the brick wall. She noticed she had something clutched in her hand. It was a piece of fabric from their fight. She must have torn it from him. With shaking fingers she unfolded it. Embroidered upon the heavy black cloth was a small purple butterfly.

Her vision fading and her chest heaving, her body couldn't take the strain of staying awake any longer and she slumped, unconscious.


	14. Tikki

Adrien lay stomach down on his bed, his chin hanging off the edge, the hand holding his phone was resting on the floor, he was watching an update on the attack in Germany,

 _"terror heute in der Stuttgarter Innenstadt als junges Mädchen, jetzt als die zuvor vermisste Marinette Dupain-chang identifiziert, wurde als Geisel genommen. Sie und der nicht identifizierte männliche Angreifer befinden sich immer noch außerhalb der Polizeigewahrsam, und es entsteht Stress, sie zu finden."_ Adrien read the subtitles, biting his lip. 

"Terror today in downtown Stuttgart as a young girl, now identified as the previously missing Marinette Dupain-chang was taken hostage. She and the unidentified male assailant are still out of police custody, and stress builds to bring them in."

Adrien paused the video. That had been hours before, and Marinette was believed to still be in grave danger. Police had cordoned off the street and were keeping watch on all exits out of the building, but so far no one had shown themselves. 

No demand for food or a helicopter or money or anything had come through. Everyone was getting antsy, but it was too risky for the police to go in. So they sat outside with a megaphone, demanding an answer but never receiving one. After a while, it could hardly be looked at as a hostage situation anymore. Because there were no demands in exchange for the girl´s release it was now being treated as a kidnapping. 

He watched the video over and over, the way Mari flipped the man over her shoulder and looked to the police for help, but was inevitably pulled back into the center, the gun now at her head.

All he knew was that he had to save her. He couldn't not. She was Marinette. And that was all the convincing he needed. 

He stood from his bed and called to Plagg. 

"You realize I've only had two slices of camembert today?" Asked Plagg vexedly. 

"Why can´t you just eat mice?" Adrien asked annoyedly. 

"Mullo would never forgive me" Plagg complained.

"Plagg, we might have to leave, run away." 

Plagg looked at him in amazement, "Really?! Look what happened to that girl's friends and family when she ran away. Look at what happened to you. You want to do that to everyone?¨

"Look, I don´t know why or even if Marinette ran away, but I do know she's in trouble. And I have to help her, Father would never let me, but I think this is more important than getting his permission"

"Kid think about this for a second, by the time you get to Germany she might already be gone."

Adrien blanched, Plagg rolled his eyes, "I mean gone as in left, gone back to Paris. Besides, there are tons of police there, you think you can run in as Chat Noir unnoticed?"  
Adrien sat down, "No."

"There´s some sense."  
"But what am I supposed to do, Plagg? I can´t just leave her there."

"I dunno kid."

An idea sprung to Adrien's mind, "I'll see if Ladybug can help. She's only a few hours away from Germany."

Plagg just shook his head, but Adrien had already cried, "Plagg, Claws out."

* * *

Chat Noir was laying on the roof above his room, obscured from anyone below. His tail flicked, his ears twitched. He tried his lady again. But she didn´t answer. He had tried her ten times already over the past hour. He had thought that she would answer by eight because that was when she patrolled, but she hadn´t answered at all. In his head, Plagg said, ¨Face it kid, she´s not going to answer.¨

Chat was annoyed, of all the times to go MIA. He climbed back into his room, detransformed, and opened his laptop.

He typed in the search bar, ¨Ladybug news¨

The first result was: _The mighty ladybug has a voracious appetite for more than just aphids_

Adrien grinned, remembering the time Ladybug took down Professor Whitefly, an akumatized professor of microbiology.

He tried again, ¨Ladybug, superhero, Paris.¨  
This time the search loaded a blog story published just a few hours before, it´s title read _´Are Ladybug and Chat Noir Leaving Us_?' Confused, Adrien clicked on the link.

" _Today, Parisians are faced with a startling possibility: Ladybug and Chat Noir have abandoned us. Paris has gotten used to the trusty duo showing up to save the day, but have we gotten too comfortable? Neither of our favorite heroes has been seen for the past forty-eight hours._

_It is usual for the superhero duo to make regular appearances every night, a few of us hardcore fans have tracked their movements, and learned where they patrol and when. So we were surprised last night when instead of watching them bound across the rooftops, (a little unnecessarily, but hey I bet it´s fun) we saw only empty sky._

_Their absence has led us to the conclusion that something is wrong with the superheroes, as they have not followed routine at all for the past two days. We have learned from an inside fanatic like us that Mayor Bourgeois called a meeting with the heroes earlier today, and not only did they not show up, but they also didn´t even answer the call._

_So, have our heroes left us high and dry? If not, I urge them to reply to us fans to alert us to their whereabouts. If they have, what happens when another Akuma challenges Paris? Only Hawkmoth can tell._

_Until next time, this is Juliette signing off._

_Note: Forgive our favorite fanatic, Alya Césaire, for not publishing a vlog today, her girl Marinette is missing. Marinette if you're reading, we're all praying for you._

_Love, hope, peace, LADYBUG!!!_

Adrien sat stunned. He hadn't even considered what might happen when Paris noticed he was missing. However there was a much more pressing matter. Ladybug. Why was Ladybug gone?

Maybe it was just the crazy ravings of a fan, but he thought not. Ladybug never missed patrol. And she wasn't answering either. He was stressed. Marinette, now Ladybug.

He dialed Alya's number. 

"Hello?"

"Hi Alya, How are you doing?"

"I can't get my damn computer to work." she burst into the phone, "I spilled coffee on it and it won't freaking work!"  
She snapped.

"ookkay." 

"Adrien have you heard anything from Marinette?" she sounded strained and haywire. 

"No. I was calling to see if you had."

"No. I--Goddamn work!" She ordered. Adrien could hear the repeated jamming of keys.

"Are you ok? You sound stressed."   
"I--I don't know. I've been so mean to her lately. It's my fault, I know it's my fault." All of a sudden she sounded watery. 

Adrien privately thought there was some truth to that statement, but knew that was hardly what she needed to hear at the moment. Agreeing with her wouldn't bring Marinette back, and it sure wouldn't help them help her, so he decided to bury his questions about why she had acted so cruelly. 

"It's not your fault. And we're going to get her back."

Alya scoffed. 

"I was wondering, have you heard anything about Ladybug?" 

"I tried to contact her, see if she would help me find Marinette, but she didn't answer. She's been missing for two days as has Chat Noir. No one can find them, and I, I don't know what to do."

"Alya it's going to be alright. We know where Mari is, and we know she isn't hurt. The police will get her out soon and then she'll come home."

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go. We should both keep trying to get in touch with Ladybug."

"Ok. I'll talk to you later Adrien. Oh Shit!"

"What!"  
"I dropped my computer."

After Adrien had hung up he sent Nino a quick text, 

Adrien: You should go hang out with Alya. I think she needs her boyfriend rn. 

Bubbletrouble: Already on my way.

It was at this moment Plagg flew up into the air, his ears perked, his eyes wide. 

"What is it?" 

"Shhhh" Plagg listened closely, it was a tiny heartbeat, one he recognized. 

"Tikki." 

"What?!" Adrien exclaimed, spinning around. 

There outside his window was a small pink ladybug. 

Adrien rushed to open the window, but she had already phased through and in an instant she and Plagg were somersaulting in the air, tightly embraced. 

"Ladybug doesn't realize what trouble she's getting herself into, I need you Chat Noir, to talk some sense into her." 

They were sitting on Adrien's bed.

"But you're her Kwami, if you can't do it how can I?"  
"You and Ladybug have a special connection. All Ladybugs and Chat Noirs do. You'll be able to get through to her."  
"Why did she even leave Paris in the first place?"  
"That's er-- private."  
"Tikki, I have to find my friend Marinette, besides how am I supposed to find Ladybug without her being able to transform?"  
"If you go to Ladybug she'll help you find Marinette, besides I'm connected to the Earrings, I can find my way to her."  
Adrien considered it, "Listen, you know I'd do anything for My Lady, but she doesn't even want to be talked to. And right now my friend Marinette is in grave danger, I'm sorry, but I have to find her." Adrien felt horrible, but Marinette needed him more than his lady. And then he thought about it. Could he actually say no to helping his lady?

Tikki interrupted his thoughts, "What do you mean, grave danger?"

Adrien showed her the news. 

Tikki blanched.

It was night. Adrien had finally gotten to sleep after tossing and turning for an hour. 

"I wish I hadn't left her. If I had known would happen--- Poor Marinette." Tikki grieved, she and Plagg were having a discussion in the hotel bathroom. Plagg wanted Tikki to just tell Adrien that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person.   
"I can't do that Plagg, Marinette doesn't want him to know, I always honor her wishes".

"Yeah yeah." Plagg said, nibbling on a piece of Camembert, "But how are we going to rescue ladybug if he doesn't know?"

"Well, he's looking for Marinette, they're the same person. As long as he's looking for one of them it all works out."

"I hope you're right cupcake."  
"I've missed you Plagg."  
"I've missed you too." 

They hovered to the window framing the mountains, where Adrien had set up a plush purple pillow for them, and they snuggled down. Tikki rested her head against Plagg's chest and together they looked out at the moon.

After not seeing each other for a millennium this was near perfect. Plagg exhaled and hugged Tikki closer. God he had missed her. Just for the night, they allowed themselves to forget about all their problems, and simply watch the earth turn towards the day.


	15. Resistance

It was night when Mari awoke. She didn't wake suddenly but rather came into consciousness as if on a cloud. Hazy and confused, she struggled to comprehend which way was up. She felt something heavy tapping against her leg. What was it? But first where was she? She had fallen from a building; was she still lying there? Or had she been taken? Her eyes- or was it her ears?- were glued shut.

Everything was confusing. Where was Tikki? And this question was the one which stabbed her mind into action. She had fallen and ran, she had backed into an ally, she had felt heavy, as though she had weights strapped to each shoulder. She must have fainted. And what on earth was tapping her leg? It was incessant and kept her from dropping back down into the deep stupor her heavy chest and thick tongue told her she must have been in. She suspected the tapping was what had revived her. 

She opened her eyes. she was staring up a wall which seemed to expand and contort into sky, her eyes adjusted.

She was lying on the ground, her head pressing against brick, her legs bent beneath her. She sat up, the action alone enough to force the air she had so carefully inhaled from her chest. What she saw didn't make her feel any better, on the contrary, it only fueled her apprehension and confusion. A man who seemed seven feet tall from this angle was kicking her thigh lightly. 

She scrambled to her feet at once, making sure she knew how to balance before she straightened completely.

"There she is!" he grinned at her. 

"Who are you?" Marinette asked, gingerly taking a step back. Her head was spinning, she leaned against the wall and blinked, trying to keep her vision in focus. 

"You can call me T." He didn't stop her from backing away, which she found encouraging.

"That didn't answer my question."

He wasn't seven feet tall, which made her feel a little better.

"I'm the one who's going to help you get out of here." He had a buzz cut, and though he was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans he was wearing thick military-grade boots. She wondered how old he was. No older than twenty.

Marinette suddenly got the feeling she had stumbled into a very big problem. 

"Thank you, but I can manage that on my own. Besides, I need to stop off somewhere." 

"Your hotel?"

The nerve of this man. 

She needed to get Tikki and leave, if Hawkmoth was after her she might have mere hours before she was accosted again.

"Excuse me, but I've had a rough day and I don't need this right now."

Her head was clearing, the dizziness fading away, this was encouraging. Hopefully, she didn't have a concussion. Feeling she was able to stand without the wall, she pushed away from it and shouldered past him, He was lean but sinewy, and she was not in the mood to be standing in his shadow. 

"This is the one thing you do need, Ladybug."

Marinette blinked and turned around, "What?"

This was the last thing she needed, someone who obviously worked for the government knowing her secret. 

"I said this is the one thing you do need."  
"Not that," she said edgily. 

He took a breath, his hands were military-style behind his back, "You are Marinette Dupain-cheng, seventeen years old, alter ego Ladybug, partner Chat Noir who's name is--"  
"STOP! " Marinette demanded. She was losing her temper, "I just had a gun pointed at my head, fought a man twice my size, fell off a roof and on top of all that I think he was working for HawkMoth, so I do not need this right now! Who are you and how do you know so much about me?" 

"You can call me T, which we've covered. I'm a special agent employed by someone whose name needs not mentioned, we refer to her as the Dove. We know all about you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, and we're on your side. I'm part of the resistance. And you need my help, as we need yours." 

Marinette had not expected that. 

"Resistance?" 

"Yes. I'm part of the resistance against Polilla and Hawkmoth. I came to recruit you, but one of Polilla's thugs got to you first." 

"I've never heard of a resistance. I'm the resistance."

"With respect, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you are only the tip of the iceberg. For the past five years, we have been working to dismantle Polilla's base of operations."

None of this made sense. How could there be a resistance, and why hadn't they come to her before this?

"Who's Polilla? I've heard that name before but-"

"Ms. Dupain-cheng, if you'd like to accompany me to my base we can talk more fully on this subject."

Marinette nodded numbly. Polilla was the one Wonderwoman had fought, at least that's what Alejandro, the man Mari had met at the train station, had told her. So WonderWoman hadn't defeated Polilla after all?

T put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, immediately a black Mercedes pulled into the alleyway. 

T opened the door for Marinette who climbed in, and then he got in himself. The car backed out and eased into traffic. 

"When we get to my base we can get your hands looked at." He said. Mari looked down, There were splinters of glass in her hands, blood was seeping from a gash on her wrist. Ever mindful of others, Mari brought her hands over her lap in an attempt to preserve the soft grey seat leather. 

"I didn't notice."  
"You're most likely still in shock," T said. He had given her an odd sideways smile when she had tried to protect the seating. Maybe he thought she was being childish. But, "I can see why you were chosen as Ladybug." 

Mari said nothing, she wanted to know more about Pollia. 

After driving for half an hour in more or less silence, Mari looked out the window, not to see a concrete bunker as she had imagined, but a small suburban house, surrounded by others just like it. The porch light was on, attracting gnats.

"We're at your house?"

"No, Not my house, this is a place we rent for when we need stealth, no one knows it's here."

The driver opened Marinette's door for her, and then the screen door of the house. Inside was like a hotel, very clean and tidy, but cheap, a layer of dust coating the surfaces. 

"Through here please." T guided her into the kitchen. On the counter was a makeshift operating room, bottles of antiseptic, medical equipment, white lights. 

"You get all this out just for me?" Mari asked skeptically as T motioned for her to sit down on a barstool across from him.

"We have several safe houses in several different countries, each with a first aid station. In our line of work it's smart to have a place to be stitched up beside the hospital, too many questions."

"You're acting like there are Akumas everywhere, but they're not even in all of France, the only place where Hawkmoth conducts his terror is in Paris. What is the need for so many safe houses?"

"We've found Polilla and Hawkmoth's network which spreads to countries in Europe and parts of Asia, we have a safe house in every country we believe is connected. We have one in Germany because of the computer science programs they have here. And Hawkmoth is not our primary concern, " T said, his calloused hands gently pulling hers across the marble countertop. 

His face was set, his eyes trained professionally on her torn hands. His jaw was tensed and his lip quirked in concentration as he studied the damage. How did he get such medical experience that young?

"Polilla is more important," he said, now lightly pressing a piece of duct tape down on each hand.

"Woah! can't you use tweezers?" Mari asked, flinching away.

"Tweezers can make the glass splinter, we'll only use them for the pieces we can't get out with duct tape."

Grabbing onto each end he evenly pulled the tape up. Mari held her hand down to the counter and bit her cheeks, trying not to cry out. 

He glanced up at her, "Sorry."

"Why is Polilla more important? Who even is Polilla?"

"Polilla," he said, now plucking pieces of glass from her palms with plastic tweezers, "is somewhat of a mystery. All we know is that people who meet him change, and not for the better. We have an agent in China who can brief you more fully, I am not authorized to inform you more." He finished getting the glass out. 

"So is this a government operation? And why are you only now contacting me? Chat Noir and I are two of the most staunch defenders of the people and of Paris, how come we haven't been informed of this resistance?"

"We are not a government operation, though our members are mostly military or ex-military. I myself was recruited by Dove right after I got home from a two-year stint in the Navel special forces. You and Chat Noir are the face of the fight, but you are not the only soldiers. We have people behind the scenes, who are much less likely to be caught as you or Chat Noir. Up 'til now, it has been in everyone's best interest for you to know as little as possible, if you were caught it would be only too easy for Hawkmoth to learn the whereabouts of other agents."

"So Chat and I are fighting the battle, but you're winning the war?" Mari asked, her tongue tasted sour.

"Not at all. You are both very useful in the fight, and we wouldn't be where you are without you. Don't feel belittled, none of our agents know the full extent of the operations. And that is purely for everyone's safety. Listen," he said, carefully turning Mari's hand so he could inspect the gash on her wrist, "You're going to need stitches."

"Are you sure?" Marinette had never had stitches before in her life. Her heart skipped a beat when she looked down at it. It was at least four inches long. Her breathing increased, pain shot through her nerve endings. 

"Yeah, It's too deep to get away with just a bandage." He placed a cool gel gently on it, she assumed it was an antibiotic.

As though he did this kind of thing every day, T threaded a needle and braced it against her wrist, "Tell me when."

"Wait! Aren't you going to use anesthetic?" 

"We don't have any numbing gel and gas would put you under, time is important right now, we need to get you on a plane within the hour. We can tape you up and wait a day to get you to somewhere with more equipment-" he trailed off, the needle still poised at her wrist. 

"No. No, go ahead." Marinette swallowed, she brought her other wrist up to her mouth and bit down on it, bracing.

He began. 

It felt like it took hours, though only a few minutes had passed. She had squeezed her eyes shut after the first stitch, for a superhero she was still squeamish about blood. Adrenaline kept the pain mostly at bay, but once or twice she cried out at the sudden pull.

He cut the thread and put a reassuring heavy hand on her shoulder. She looked up, releasing her wrist, it was red and indented from where she had bitten. As she drew her extended arm back across the counter she realized she was shaking. 

"Hang on we have to sterilize it."

He poured a cap full of rubbing alcohol over the neat stitches. Mari blanched, dropping forward on the counter, grasping at the marble trying not to shout. 

She gritted her teeth and pressed her forehead onto the counter. 

"I apologize." When he turned away for a moment and she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. 

He turned back around with a pack of white gauze. Gingerly he took her shredded hands and began wrapping them lightly.

He was strong and professional, she thought he could rip someone in two without a Kwami, but he was gentle with her hands, as though he was holding something delicate. But he had to know she wasn't. He knew who she was, after all, knew she was used to being thrown around like a rag doll by the akumatized. He had to know she knew how to bandage herself up. But he helped her all the same. Mari was glad of it. 

She looked down at them after he was done, she could be a street fighter she thought.   
Four hours before, she had been. 

"Here's the plan." He began cleaning efficiently, wiping down the counters, throwing away the plastic utensils and duct tape, capping the alcohol. 

"We disguise you, get you on a plane to China, you meet the contact and she will explain from there what to do. Got it?" 

"What about Tikki?"

"We went to your hotel room. Your kwami is already gone. We don't know where." There was an edge to his voice. 

"What? But, but Tikki wouldn't just leave." 

"I know. We think they came for her before they came for you. Marinette felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest, it certainly felt like it was afraid it might be, it was pounding like a hummingbird in her chest, "I have to get her back."

"You won't find her without our help."  
"You said I could help you, but without Tikki, I can't do anything."

T looked down at her, his military stance gone, he leaned over the counter, his eyes dripping sincerity, he clasped her forearms, "You are still Ladybug, with or without your Kwami, and we need your mind, not just your combative skill. You earned Tikki, and we know that. So come with us to China, we'll find her. I promise."  
Mari looked into his intense hazel eyes, trying not to show she was still shaking and nodded. 

"Why are we going to China. And why are you only now contacting me?"

He straightened back up, his hands leaving her arms, the mask every soldier wears descended once again like an invisible cloak, his shoulders straightened, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes lost their sincerity. 

"Polilla is on the move, and we think China is at the heart of it."

"How do you know Polilla is on the move?"

Ignoring the question he said, 

"So, let's go find a disguise, and get on a plane."

Four hours ago Marinette had been on a pleasant stroll with a nice family. Now she was getting ready to fight someone with busted hands, an intriguing stranger, and no kwami. Though she had been running from her problems she had seemingly walked right into bigger ones, ones which had existed for at least five years which she had never known about. 

Swallowing hard, Mari followed him.


	16. Bug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter is kinda violent so read at your own risk

Gabriel Agrest pressed the phone to his chin, his mouth a thin line. His eyebrows tensed. The call he had just gotten was one he had been afraid of for a long time.

The question of what to do had been one he had pondered for years, but now he could not proceed with the plans concocted for his and Adrien's safety.

He was no longer in Paris, no longer surrounded by gates that protected him from the outside world. A world which had just proved it wanted his head. 

His employee, Samir, entrusted with keeping him safe above all else, had failed. And now Gabriel Agrest's life could potentially be on the line. All his information, everything from his designs to his flight plans to Adrien's party planning done by Nathalie, had been exposed to hackers. They had to leave. But first, Gabriel had to do what he had come here to do. 

They hadn't landed in Bhutan due to weather. Gabriel knew who lived here, and Gabriel knew how to exploit that information. 

Mr. Agrest called his pilot, the plane was several hours away. He ordered it to come as soon as possible. Threats were not necessary, the pilot knew the terms of their contract. Agrest was a dangerous man to be messed with, a fact carefully kept from the media. 

And now to confront the man he had come here for--Ugyen Wangdi.

It was easy to get to the old man. Only several hours of searching had revealed everything he needed to know of the old man. 

"Nooroo, Transform me"

* * *

Ugyen Wangdi was making a cup of tea when he was attacked. His grandmother's china pot fell to the floor and smashed. With almost no force the stooped old man was brought to the ground, his limbs shaking against the pressure on his shoulders. Had he been twenty years younger he would have been able to fight. But those days were over. 

"I knew you'd come for me." He couldn't see the man behind him, but he knew who and what he was. 

"Then you know what I'm going to ask." The voice was menacing, a threat of what was to come.

"You're going to ask," Mr. Wangdi struggled to form words, his voice old and strained, "Where the Miraculous are."

"And the answer is..."

"I would take that to my grave"

The force on his shoulders was almost too much to bear. 

"Where is Master Fu?" 

"I don't know."

"But you will tell me anyway."  
"I swear!" The hands gripped down. Mr. Wangdi saw spots on the border of his vision.

"I apologize if I don't accept your answer." A cruel smile could be heard behind the words. 

"I promise I don't know. We went separate ways after Tibet, I haven't seen him in years. But I also know that you do not need all the Miraculous to be given a wish."  
"What can you tell me?" The voice sounded impatient.   
"I know who has the Miraculous texts." The hand gripped down on his collarbone, he started to fall forward but the arm kept him in place.

"And who is that?"  
"Gabriel Agrest." Mr. Wangdi gasped out.

There was a beat of silence. 

"Who have you been talking to?" 

"His boy. His boy. Now let me go."

The hand left and Mr. Wangdi managed a deep, guilty breath before he was struck to the floor in his kitchen.

Gabriel Agrest had to think. Adrien had been talking to Mr. Wangdi about him. This was concerning. Very concerning. Gabriel couldn't afford to let anyone or anything get in the way of his and Polilla's plans. Gabriel was so close to getting his wife back, all he needed were the miraculous and he would have her. And everything had been going fine, until it hadn't.

He had to find out why Adrien was talking to the old man, unconscious, possibly dead in his kitchen. He sat in his darkened hotel room thinking. But his musings were cut short when his cell phone rang. 

"Sir, turn on the news." 

Gabriel flicked on his tv. Skimming through the channels he immediately knew which one the call was about. 

There was a ball of flames in the sky, an inferno hurtling towards the earth, shrapnel falling to the mountains below. Gabriel didn't have to ask. He knew. It was his plane.

* * *

Adrien woke to someone jostling him. The first thing he noticed was it was still night.

"Nathalie?" He asked tiredly. What was going on?

He pushed himself up, out of the corner of his eye he saw Tikki and Plagg fly from their perch on the window to his bag. He rubbed his eyes and looked up.   
"Father?"

The sight was frightening. He had never seen his father look so afraid: his glasses were askew his hair mussed. He looked like a man on a mission, and a wave of panic washed over Adrien. 

"Get up. Get dressed. We're driving."


	17. T for Troublesome

Thirty-one thousand feet in the air, above dark gullies and lush green trees, rusted bicycles leaning against rotting cabins and an oil pipeline no one had wanted to be built and an old man smoking a cigar in the dark so his wife wouldn't see and a stray dog chasing a toad, a plane glided. 

The seats were a blue leather, the air hostess was dressed in a crisp maroon uniform, she was scowling; she didn't like her ass being pinched by someone who had had too many mini bottles.

Down the row from her obnoxiously veering cart (which just happened to trap the man's fingers between his seat and the metal leg) was an old man. He had deeply set jowls, his eyes were sunken and his lips pursed. He pointedly turned away from the loud children's cartoons playing on the entertainment system, with a hand, shakey simply from so many years on the planet, he pressed AirPods into his large ears.

Across the row, past a woman fast asleep with her head in her wife's lap, past the ten-year-old immersed in his Zelda game, past the scruffy thirty-year-old with a lei around his neck and an Advil in his hand who looked like he needed a winning streak, past the burned-out couple desperately trying to get back home after an exhausting trip in Florida, in the middle seat, craning her neck to look out the window, sat a pretty blond girl with taped up hands. 

Marinette Dupain Cheng wondered briefly if she was going to be able to stand after this flight. She was sure her legs would fall asleep. She had been sitting for two and a half hours now. It was still dark out, around two in the morning. T was asleep, he had slightly fallen onto her shoulder. She thought it was funny how he could still seem professional, even as he snored against her jacket. 

She shifted slightly. The wig was very uncomfortable: scratchy mesh brushed against the back of her neck every time she tried to relax in her seat. The sunglasses she thought were overkill, but she liked the clothes. The white skirt and blue blouse wasn't her style, but she appreciated them all the same. 

She tried to relax, but she was still extremely tense. The only thing she could think about was Tikki. If Hawkmoth had Tikki, or this Pilolla person did, then they only had to get Mari's earrings. Mari tried not to think of what they could be doing to Tikki. She balled her hand against her forehead, her eyebrows scrunching. How could she have gotten in such a fight with Tikki? How could she have overlooked just how important Tikki was? 

She counted to ten before dropping her hand back to nervously pleat and unpleat the bottom of her skirt. 

And how long was it until she had to face the consequences from her family for running away? Aditi knew she had run away, which meant that it was on the news now. She wondered if her parents were missing her. If they were scared for her. 

A terrible gut-clenching wave of guilt swept over her. She had been gone for two days yet she felt like it had been years. And for perhaps the first time she truly thought of how her parents must feel. She had justified running away by assuming they wouldn't miss her. She saw now that that was foolish. They were her parents, and they loved her. What about Alya? Did Alya care? What about the rest of her class? What about Adrien? And then Marinette remembered that he had gone on a trip with his father. He probably didn't even know she was missing. 

" _Marinette? Marinette the game's over." Alya called, laughing. She clung to Nino who was grinning and adjusting his glasses. It was a brilliant summer day in Paris, Alya, Marinette, Nino, and Adrien were playing jeu de cache-cache -Hide and seek- in the structured wilderness of the Bois de Vincennes park._

_"Marinette come on!" Adrien laughed, he had been found last. Now all they had to find was Marinette._

_Marinette giggled to herself. Perched three branches up in a tree, she looked down on them._

_"Marinette the game's over," Tikki said in her high pitched voice._

_"Shhh Tikki!" Mari laughed. Her plan was for them to get right next to her, and she'd jump down and scare them._

_"Where the heck is she?" Alya groaned, "Marinette we're going to leave you!" She faked._

_They came closer to her tree. Mari prepared to jump, the branch she was on cracked._

_All three friends looked up in time to see Marinette's grin turn suddenly into a look of surprise and then fear as the branch gave way. They jumped out of the way as the thin branch of wood came down and then looked up again to see Marinette clinging to a branch only as wide as her wrist._

_"Oh my god, Marinette" Alya cried._

_"Hi guys" Mari chimed sheepishly._

_Nino couldn't help laughing. Marinette tried to monkey up the branch but it started bending when she moved._

_"Anyone wanna help me down from here?"_   
_"Just jump girl."_

_"I'll break my ankle," Mari said indignantly. She couldn't properly jump from this angle._

_"You should have thought of that before you climbed a tree."_

_"Fine! But if I die it's on you." Marinette joked. She let go of the branch. The ground rushed towards her, she knew the instant before she hit that she had made a mistake. She had miscalculated the distance. It was much farther than she had thought. She braced for the impact, but it never came._

_Instead, she landed right in a pair of arms. She had a split second of confusion before she and whoever had caught her were a ball of arms and legs rolling on the ground._

_She sat up dizzily, pulling stray leaves from her hair. Looking over she saw Adrien dusting himself off, Nino helping him up while Alya ran to Mari._   
_"Quick thinking bro," Nino said, grinning._

_"Wow," Marinette said, brushing herself off, blushing profusely._

_"Are you ok, Marinette?" Adrien asked._

_"Yep. I'm good." Marinette squeaked, only just managing not to bury her face in her hands._

_She adjusted her shirt and brushed herself off._

_Alya only smirked at Marinette, "Girl you have to go after him" She whispered._

_The four of them made their way out of the park, Nino and Alya giving Adrien praise and scolding Marinette the whole way. But Marinette couldn't focus on any of it. All she could think of was that Adrien had caught her._

God Adrien. Why did he have to be so good? 

She couldn't stand sitting still for much longer. Couldn't stand thinking of all the good times which she might never have again.

It was just when she was wondering how much longer it could be before she managed to sleep when the Captain made an announcement. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen if I could please have your attention?"  
Several people straightened, others shoved their earbuds more forcefully into their ears. 

"There has been a change of plans. We are going to have to land in St Petersburg, Russia."

There was a collective angry outburst from the passengers. Those who hadn't been listening poked their heads up and turned sheepishly to their neighbors to ask what was happening. 

Mari frowned and elbowed T. He opened his eyes and blinked several times.

She whispered the news to him. He straightened, eyeing the cockpit warily, 

"There have been reports of a plane exploding, um at this time it's being labeled as a terror threat." Several people screamed others looked mortified, Marinette let out a gasp. 

"All flights have been suspended, we are trying to get on the ground as soon as possible," There was an outburst of chatter, but the Pilot, whose voice was rather shaky, cut over them, "I will give you updates as they occur. In the meantime, um, please try to remain calm, we will be landing within the hour."

Marinette looked over to T. He was pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked stressed. 

"This doesn't have anything to do with you, does it?" 

Marinette asked quietly. He looked up, "We can talk about this later."

* * *

Half an hour later their plane landed. The airport was in complete disarray. People were running every which way, security guards trying to keep everyone in order but failing. Everyone wanted out of the airport, people were streaming for the doors, forgetting luggage, meals, husbands. Panic was seeping into everyone's bones. Because if one plane had been attacked, what's to say there wouldn't be another one?

Marinette couldn't help but fall into the swell of panic everyone else had been lost in. She snatched up her bags, tapping her foot, waiting for T. Her heart wouldn't keep still, her temperature wouldn't normalize either, her blood flowed back and forth like a tempest. She felt dizzy with worry. 

Should she run? Should she get as far away as possible from T? After all, she didn't know him at all. Who's to say he is who he says. 

But where would she go? What would she do? She needed to find out more about Pilolla, whoever he was. Figure out how to defeat him. She couldn't do any of that without sources, without information. 

People swarmed around her, TVs were being blasted at full volume, Security guards were randomly checking people. 

Yes, she decided. She needed to run. 

She turned, ready to hoof it to the nearest exit, but instead came face to face with Gabriel Agrest. 

His face was plastered across all the television screens, boards that usually showed flight times were now playing the news. 

The world seemed to slow. Footage of the plane exploding was all Marinette could see. The brilliant orange expanding in her vision, blocking out everything else. 

"The plane of Gabriel Agrest was attacked this morning--"

Marinette didn't hear anything else. 

Adrien. 

She collapsed onto a bench. He was dead.

There was no way. No way that Adrien could be-- that he was gone. And that thought clicked.

It was impossible. She refused to believe it. The plane exploded over and over again. Had Adrien been on it? She looked back up to the television. Please let him be ok.

"The plane was empty, The pilot managed to parachute out, it seems there have been no casualties."

Marinette read the woman's lips. Listened to her words. Wouldn't dare to believe it. And then she started to laugh. 

He was alive. He was alive. And her jubilation was such that she jumped from her seat, spun around for the door, but didn't make it two steps before T stepped in front of her.

* * *

They were in a rental car. Marinette felt utterly unarmed. What if it was T? What if it was T who tried to kill Gabriel Agrest?

She was sitting in silence. She had taken off the wig. T seemed angry. He muttered under his breath, occasionally cracking his knuckles. 

If only Marinette had Tikki. 

"So," Marinette wondered if she should say anything at all. He seemed stressed. But she decided she had to, she needed to know what was going on. 

"Did you have anything to do with that plane?" She eyed him anxiously. 

He didn't speak for a moment. Then he said, "Yes."

"Oh my god. Stop the car let me out." She tried to open the car door. It wouldn't open. "Stop the car" She needed Tikki. But maybe it was a good thing Tikki wasn't there. What if T would have taken her?

"The intent was not to harm Gabriel Agrest." 

"No just to blow up his plane. Let me out." Marinette was becoming frantic, she punched at the door. 

"Just stop and listen please Ms. Dupain-Cheng." T still didn't take his eyes off the road. 

"Why would you blow up his plane?" she asked shrilly.

"We think he has something to do with Hawkmoth. But they blew the plane up too soon. We weren't in china yet. Now we have to drive there." Marinette sat in silence for a split second. Then her voice wavering she said, "You're crazy. Why on earth would you think that Gabriel Agrest has something to do with--"   
"His son."

"Adrien?" Marinette exploded, "Adrien doesn't have anything to do with Hawkmoth!"  
"No." T agreed, "But he did tell one of our agents of a book his father has. A book about the ancient Miraculous." Marinette froze. She knew what book T was speaking of. She had found it herself in Adrien's possession. 

"And you think Gabriel Agrest has something to do with Hawkmoth?" She asked incredulously.

"At the moment we think he is working for Hawkmoth. Yes." Marinette rubbed her face, no longer trying to get out of the car. 

"So he has a book. It doesn't mean he's working with Hawkmoth." 

"During Adrien Agrest's conversation with our agent, our agent managed to get a message out to us about the book. Remember Marinette, that book hasn't been seen in years. We hacked into his database, learned his schedule, and where his plane would be within the hour. We did what we had to do."  
Marinette just couldn't wrap her mind around this. It didn't make sense. There was no way Adrien's father could be working with Hawkmoth. Adrien was one of the best people Marinette knew. How could someone so terrible raise someone so good? It didn't add up. Mari didn't say anything.   
T understood her silence to be disbelief, "We made sure no one was hurt. We just needed to...take away certain means of travel for him." 

"This is crazy."

"No, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. This is war." His voice was steely. 

"This is the first real lead we've had in years, the fact that the man in question is the father to one of your school friends doesn't change our course of action. Hawkmoth will not stop until he gets the Miraculous, and we must prevent that. Through any means necessary. I hope you understand that, Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

Marinette was silent. 

"How do I know I can trust you?" She asked finally. 

T sighed a long calculating sigh. 

"The agent in question who your friend Adrien Agrest talked to is named Mr. Wangdi. He lives in Bhutan. He used to work with Master Fu. I believe you know who that is?" Marinette nodded. 

"You can trust your friend Adrien will be protected, no matter what." he sighed again, "and my name is Alexander."


	18. Miscommunication

Bhutan was only eight hours from Lhasa; the place so important to Gabriel that he made Adrien completely uproot his life to go there. The car ride was mostly silent. Adrien hadn't expected anything else. Gabriel sat stock still, staring out the window for what felt like hours on end. Honestly, it was kind of disconcerting how he could just turn himself off sometimes. Adrien privately hoped he never became like that. 

Adrien stretched widely and yawned. It was the early hours of the morning, up in the mountains Adrien could get no cell service which meant he couldn't watch the many news reports that were most likely airing at the moment. Tales of failed assassinations and Terrorism. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Adrien couldn't help feel that if someone was trying to harm him or his father, the perpetrator might have figured out whether they were actually on the plane before going through the trouble to blow it up.

Nathalie was sitting stock still across from him. She was looking down at her tablet, her glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Over the years Adrien had come to read with accuracy the minute emotions that ever dared to cross Nathalie's usually impassive face. He could tell she was tired. Gabriel had kept her working for nearly thirty hours straight. Her usually neat bun was skewed. Her eyes kept skipping over whatever she was reading, and then jolting back, as though she realized her brain hadn't taken in a word of it. 

Adrien couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. Honestly, his father should just get a second assistant. There was definitely enough work to go around. Nathalie seemed to sense Adrien looking at her and glanced up. "Adrien you should get some sleep. We'll be driving for the next few hours." 

"Yeah." He said. She worked so hard for him. Gabriel never had. It was sad, to think that the only grown-up who seemed to care about his well-being was the one being paid to do so. He looked away, now at Gabriel. He was texting urgently to someone. Probably about the plane. He was as stock straight and unfeeling as a robot. 

Adrien looked down into his lap and closed his eyes. Why would someone want to kill a fashion designer though? It didn't make sense. While Gabriel had few acquaintances, he had fewer enemies. At least that Adrien knew about. It didn't make sense. But then nothing about this trip made sense. According to Mr. Wangdi the book his father had, had been missing for years. So why was it Gabriel, a fashion designer, had it? And why had Adrien's mother had it? Well, she loved to travel. Maybe she had found it. But this seemed odd.   
But he couldn't figure out the weird coincidence. So he cast it from his mind for the time being.

But now with nothing to distract him, he found his thoughts pulled back to Marinette and Ladybug. Both missing. And Marinette being held hostage.   
Adrien leaned his head against the car door and closed his eyes. 

He just kept getting farther and farther away from Marinette. Every inch jerked his stomach when he thought of the possibility of what Mari could be going through, every second he failed to act. He couldn't handle it. He couldn't handle never seeing one of his dearest friends again. And the question which had crossed his mind a thousand times before resurfaced: why did it have to be Marinette? 

She was so innocent. Why did she, the person who balanced out the heavy sadness of the world with her charm and sunshine, have to be faced with horrors even Adrien knew not. He wondered if the masked man had already snuffed out the balance. They had disappeared from that building. No one knew where.

Alya had started having panic attacks, Nino informed Adrien. Every hour her best friend didn't show up was another guilty thorn in her side. 

Adrien balled his fists, acutely aware of the other people in the car with him. All he wanted was to be alone. He wanted to think but didn't ever want to think again. Not when his mind was capable of picturing gruesome and terrible things. Not when he could imagine getting the call that Marinette was gone. Not when he could picture with awful clarity Alya howling in misery. Marinette's father collapsed beside her grave. His own grief. No. He didn't want to think. But he had to. 

And ladybug. His lady. His lovely, beautiful, fabulous lady was missing as well. And then a horrible thought struck him. The last time he had seen her she had been sad. She had told him how her family was not treating her right. What if she had needed him? What if he had left her at the moment she needed him the most. 

He had just left her. He had left her with no regard. Of course she was going to kiss him, she had needed comfort. Someone to talk to. And he hadn't been there for her. He should have stayed. Should have told his father he wouldn't leave. He was so angry with himself he could barely sit still. He had let the two most important girls in his life disappear all because he wasn't attentive enough. He had been too preoccupied with his own life to consider what they might need.

He scrunched his hands into still tighter balls and looked out the window at the dreary mountains. 

He straightened slightly. As the road curved a dewy shadow came into sight, and then another. Was he imagining it? It was so hard to see in front of the car. But as the car slowed to a stop he realized he wasn't imagining anything. There were at least ten people blocking the road. Gabriel had looked up, taking his glasses off.

"What's going on?" He asked the driver. 

"Seems to be a roadblock, Sir. Please wait here. "

The driver pulled a handgun from his coat and opened his door. Adrien looked incredulously at his father,   
"Why does he have a gun?!" He whisper-yelled at Gabriel.

"After the plane crash I took some precautions," Gabriel said, frowning at his son. Adrien frowned back. A loud bang from outside of the car jolted them. Nathalie looked petrified, Gabriel alert, Adrien was wondering how he could get to Plagg without anyone noticing. 

The driver had taken a shot and seemingly missed. He was lying on the ground, Adrien stared at him, he saw him shift slightly. At least he was alive. 

"Gabriel Agrest! Get out of the car. Hands up" 

Adrien strained his eyes, trying to see the faces of the figures. Then he looked to Gabriel who looked if possible more grave than Adrien had ever seen him. 

"Father?" 

"Stay in the car, Adrien." 

"No! Dad, they'll shoot you!" Adrien's voice broke in fear. Gabriel paused at the new title and looked back. 

Then he reached out and gripped Adrien's shoulder, 

"It will be fine. Stay here." And he stepped out. 

Several figures marched forward to meet him, becoming clearer as they approached. 

Gabriel stood stock-still facing the men for a moment, his mouth pursed in a grim smile, then he was wrestled to the ground. 

Immediately the rest ran forward. 

Adrien's door opened, he was pulled out. He struggled, fighting against the strong arms of the much taller person restraining him. 

Why was this happening? Were they after money? What was going on? Adrien fought ferociously. He kicked wildly into the air, but the man restraining him was built like a bear and as solid as concrete. He could feel his face turning red from exertion, the bear's forearms grasping tightly around his ribcage and neck.

Finally, Adrien's foot connected with the car, he pushed away as hard as he could and the bear toppled. They fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Adrien connected his fist with a fleshy nose and heard a crunch. He scrambled to his feet, overbalanced, and fell backward into a different but no less burly set of arms. 

"Nathalie!" Adrien yelled, again flailing pointlessly against his captor. Gabriel was still pinned to the ground, Nathalie was a few feet away, also struggling against two men. One had not been enough to restrain her. While the three were grappling, the rest of the men were tearing apart the insides of the car, the seats were torn, the dash pulled up, the luggage overturned. Then one of the men held up something and yelled to his colleagues, "I've got it." 

When Adrien saw what "It" was, his blood went cold and he stopped struggling. It was the book of Miraculous. He looked to Gabriel whose face had turned a shade of red he had never seen it. Suddenly, the man pinning Gabriel was sprawled on his back, Gabriel towering over him.

Adrien saw but did not believe. 

Why did Gabriel have the book with him? Why did he need to bring it to a fashion meet? And Adrien understood.

He didn't know how or why or if he was going crazy, but it was as though a veil had been lifted, after all this time...Gabriel had been working against him.

Had been working against Chat Noir. What else could it be? Gabriel was in league with HawkMoth. Gabriel had been working with Chat Noir's arch Nemesis. If Adrien hadn't been being held by Bear#2 he would have fallen. He stared at him as though he had never seen him before.

Gabriel was still staring ruthlessly down at the man who had moments ago held the power. And he did something Adrien would never have believed possible from his father. He brought his loafer down with incredible force onto the man's head.

Adrien yelled. He grabbed the man holding him and threw him over his shoulder; threw him a clear five feet before he crashed into the side of the car.   
Gabriel looked around, his eyes clearing, his eyes caught Adrien's. 

He opened his mouth. Maybe to explain, maybe to yell a command or warning, but Adrien shook his head dizzily. Already more men were dashing toward him. He didn't give them a chance to catch him. Still in shock over what he had seen his father do, he spun and ran.

He scrambled up the side of the cliff, rocks and dirt scattering onto the men chasing him below. He tore with his hands up the side of the mountain, grabbing onto any stray root or rock he could reach. The men were slipping and sliding, trying to catch up. The rocks were sandy and filled with holes, impressive boulders jutted steeply, mysteriously carved into odd formations. The higher up Adrien got the rockier the terrain became. He was no longer slipping on gravel but scrambling over rocks the size of cars. He lept into crevices, throwing glances over his shoulder every few minutes. 

The men were far behind him, Adrien ducked into a crevice and waited. His heart wouldn't slow down, everything was oddly bright, as though he was staring directly into the sun, though the day was relatively cloudy. 

Even though there were strange people searching for him, possibly to kill him, All Adrien could think about was his father. His father couldn't be bad. It must have been a coincidence. But somehow, Adrien wasn't sure. So he waited. And waited. And waited.

The men got closer but were still far from where he crouched. There was a divot between a rock and the ground. Feeling it would be a more secure hiding place, Adrien wiggled under it. Minutes later he heard a man's heavy footfalls above him. They vibrated against his cheek. Adrien held his breath and waited. Then the footsteps continued.

Half an hour passed and then an hour. Adrien still waited, finally he dared to reemerge. Far below, the roadblock was empty, the car was gone as was his father. Everything was silent. 

Adrien opened his pocket wordlessly. Tikki and Plagg flew out. 

"Plagg." Adrien's voice cracked, "Plagg I think my dad might be working with HawkMoth." No one spoke for a minute. 

Adrien wiped his face, his adam's apple bobbed.  
"What am I going to do? He got away, I don't have Nathalie. We're in the middle of nowhere." 

"Kid," Plagg said, his voice somber, "Let's do what you first suggested. Let's go find Ladybug."

"I said we should find Marinette."   
"Ok kid, whichever one you want," Plagg said, glancing at Tikki. 

"Let's find both of them. Plagg, Claws out." 

As the soft leather engulfed him, Adrien felt his fears slip away. He was going to find them. No matter what. And if his father was actually working with HawkMoth, Ladybug would know what to do. He knew she would.


	19. What you don't know...

Seven days had passed since that fateful plane crash which had spun their plan off course.

They didn't speak to each other. They slept in motel rooms with nats on the lamps and holes in the walls. The barrier between them was almost as strong as the language barrier which kept them from conversing with anyone besides each other. This borderline isolation had given Marinette plenty of time to think. But what good was thinking if all it would do would further her misery?

Marinette wondered how her family was doing. The night before, in semi-darkness, Marinette had woken. The dream had been more a smell; one she knew well. The scent of freshly baked bread. She had been so sure she was back at her house that when she woke to see not her mother waking her up for breakfast but a grumpy Alexander telling her to get a move on, she had been quite disappointed.

But, she told herself, all that was in the past. And she didn't need them anymore. Not after how they treated her. She had decided she would let them know she was alright sometime, she was sure seeing her almost kidnapped had given them a shock. But she got away, and she was safe now. Hawkmoth's goon who had tried to catch her had probably been caught. So maybe when she wasn't feeling so bitter she would talk to them. Maybe.

But what Marinette couldn't know was that her family was holding a funeral for her. How could she know that her mother and father had closed their shop? How could she know that her friends were morning not just her loss, but one of their other close friends as well? Because Adrien Agrest had been declared missing too. Though their school friends still held out hope for his return. _His_ family hadn't gotten a letter saying he was dead. _His_ disappearance, they hoped, would not stick like their unlucky friend Marinette's had.

Marinette couldn't know that behind dark curtains her best friend in the whole world had been allowing herself to forget, indulging in numerous glasses of whiskey from her father's liquor cabinet. Alya had lost two of her best friends and her boyfriend. The ever-present, ever resilient, ever happy Nino, had broken. His best friend was gone. His girlfriend was spiraling. They had got in a fight, a fight neither remembered the subject of. The had fought because they needed to fight. Needed to blame the other, because comforting each other would have been too terrible because it would be them, not them and Marinette and Adrien. Their best friends were gone. So they broke apart alone. And alone was what neither wanted to be. All Alya wanted was Nino, and all Nino wanted was Alya. But neither could have the other because neither knew the other was wanted. But Marinette couldn't know all this. 

The letter had come on a Sunday. But of course, Marinette couldn't know that. It wasn't signed and indeed would have nearly doubled in length if it had been. It was composed of only five words:

_Your daughter is dead._

_Regrets._

Tom had collapsed upon reading the words. Sabine had sunk to the floor as if in between sleeping and waking, her face void of color, her hands shivering. Marinette, as I've said, could not have known this, for if she had she would not be on her way to China with a strange man to fight a supercriminal she knew only whispers of. 

The things Marinette would do differently If only she knew...

It was sunny outside for the first time in ages, the sun pushing the clouds out of the way for center stage. Alexander was cracking pistachios open with his teeth and spitting the shells out the window. Marinette was blowing bubbles loudly, cracking her gum more vehemently than the gum deserved. 

They had been driving for a week straight. After the first day or two of steely silence-a side effect of Alexander blowing up Marinette's friend's plane-they had developed a sort of game. Whoever spoke first lost, though by no rules articulated out loud. Every time Alexander spoke Marinette took it as a personal victory and every time she had to speak first his mouth twitched just slightly upward. Their favorite past time today it seemed was making unnecessary noise. 

Alexander didn't understand Marinette's hostility toward him. After all, he had practically saved her, not hurt her friend (like he ever would, the man was Chat Noir), and told her everything he could about Pilolla. But he needed something to do to pass the time, so hostility was their pastime.

He found it slightly amusing how she could be so stubborn. She had told him quite plainly that if she went with him he could not do anything against Adrien. Alexander had agreed and decided it wasn't a good idea to inform her of the ambush. Before his men could tell the Agrest boy they were on his side, he had gotten away. Which was a problem. For Pilolla to be defeated once and for all, both the Miraculous wielders needed to fight. 

But that was a long way away. Because his men had acted prematurely and blown up the plane before Alexander and Ms. Dupan Cheng were on the ground in China, they had to drive, and driving would take time. 

Over the past week, Alexander had learned a bit about Europe's most popular superhero. She was different than he had imagined. He had thought she would be surly, noble, and confident. But the girl who sat next to him wasn't a poster cut out of SuperMan. She didn't drip arrogance, she wasn't full of herself, and she definitely would not stand for a cape.

He supposed it was a clever move, selecting her to be Ladybug, no one would suspect her. Not to say she was lacking in qualities required to be Ladybug, but that she was a regular girl. witty and spontaneous and silly, qualities not required for the hero gig, but perhaps ones that made her one of the most beloved and relevant Miraculous wielders. 

He had picked up on what she liked and what she didn't like. The pistachios seemed to be thoroughly annoying her. He cracked another one.

Marinette liked to hum along to almost unrecognizable Russian dubbed Billie Eilish songs. She put her feet up on the dashboard. She liked the band L.E.J. She enjoyed braiding her hair into different- sometimes elegant and sometimes less elegant- hairdos when she was bored. He had looked over at her once to find four braids sticking up from her head while she bit her lip concentrating on getting them to stay upright. He had snorted in laughter and she had glared at him until he turned away, but he could have sworn he saw a flicker of a smile cross her face.

His thoughts were interrupted by her clearing her throat. 

He won that round. 

"Why did you join the Military?"  
The question was so random and out of the blue, he didn't know what to say. 

He thought for a good thirty seconds

"It was the legal way to run away."

Marinette was silent. 

"And then I was going to go back after college, but I was scooped up by this organization before I had even unpacked my stuff into my dorm."

"Do your parents miss you?" 

"My dad doesn't know where I am. Didn't tell him, haven't talked to him since I left. Look why are we talking about this Ms. Dupain Cheng?"

"I've told you don't call me that."

"Marinette then."

"I'm wondering what it will be like...after we hunt down Pilolla. Wondering if I'll go back at all."

"Do you miss your family."

"Sometimes."

"Then you'll go back."

"How old are you, Alexander?"  
"I'm nineteen."   
Marinette looked stunned. Alexander continued to watch the road and crack pistachios, his brow was furrowed. 

"How did you get so high up so young?"   
"Oh come on," Alexander groaned, "I liked it better when we weren't speaking. Quit asking me questions."

"Fine. Then you talk."

"about what?"

"I don't know. But talk. I can't listen to this terrible radio anymore."

Alexander considered not speaking at all, but then he figured Marinette might be trying to make peace, so he decided to give it a go. 

"Have you heard of a man called Kohara?"  
"I haven't. Why?" Marinette leaned against her car door cross-legged facing Alexander, her buckle twisted weirdly. 

"He was a Miraculous Wielder. He was one of the good ones. I never knew him. He was several years before my time here. He was killed by Pilolla and Hawkmoth."  
Marinette didn't know what to say, "That's...that's awful. Do they have his Miraculous?" 

"We think so. They might have more. We don't know what they're doing with them. All we can hope is that you stop him before it's too late."

"Wow." Marinette said, her voice quiet, "What if Pilolla...What if he gets my Miraculous?"   
"There's always a chance...And there's always a choice." He said slowly. She didn't have to fight Pilolla.   
Marinette swallowed. 

"Of course I'll do it." 

Alexander looked at her for the first time since they had started speaking. He smiled. She smiled back. They turned back toward the road, only now the silence was not hostile. Alexander sealed his pistachio bag. Marinette tossed out her gum.

They had come to an understanding.

'Of course I'll do it.'

The things Marinette would do differently if only she knew...

Guys go check out L.E.J. summer 2015 

on youtube. I love this french band!


	20. Uncertainty

A tall figure stood, shrouded in darkness. Long dark pants folded over purple buckled boots. His waistcoat was one made of only the best silk, though today it wilted like an off-brand quality. His coat,-normally starched to perfection-was creased. His head was tilted slightly up, his eyes closed.

Hawkmoth listened. He felt surges of emotions that were not his wash over him. Sadness, Anger, Uncertainty. But today Hawkmoth's intent was not to prey on the weak-minded but to hone them out. Surely, if Adrien was in the capture of those thugs who had dared try to catch him he would be emitting strong emotions. He would have negative sentiments that Hawkmoth would be able to pick up. But so far he could not find him. He squeezed his eyes more tightly shut. 

A man's dog had been killed. A woman's wife had cancer. A grad student had failed their final. But there was no Adrien. In frustration, Hawkmoth ripped at his head with his hands, and then smoothed them across his silver scalp. There was no need to be agitated he told himself. Whoever had tried and failed to capture Gabriel most likely only wanted him and had no ill will towards the boy. Adrien had been missing for a week. For a week he had not seen his son. For a week he did not know if his son was alive. 

He ran his hands over his head again. He needed his son! What would he do if--if--. No that wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let that happen. 

So for the moment, he put the boy out of his head. Nathalie had been taken too, but that was of no consequence. She didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He had much more pressing matters on his mind.

And then there was Marinette. One of Adrien's best friends. He had forced his goon to attack her. But she had gotten away, and now she was in the wind. Where would she go? She was essential to his plan. He needed her. Where would she go?

And then it came to him. Who else would hide the girl? Who else but the man he had trusted with all his information, everything he had ever needed to be kept secret. How could it be that on the eve he had taken in the girl and helped her, all of Gabriel's information had been leaked? Suddenly it didn't make sense. He must have helped someone blow Gabriel's plane up. That man had betrayed his trust. That man had taken in the girl. It was so obvious now. Samir. Samir and his wife...what was her name? Aditi. And if Samir had leaked the information only a day after he had taken in Ladybug, it was no coincidence. Ladybug must have told him to do so. Ladybug must have blown up his plane. Ladybug must know who he is. 

_Let's just see if they can be persuaded to talk._

He thought, a smirk returning to his formerly stricken face.

* * *

Adrien held on to a tree as though his life depended on it. He clung onto the bark as he threw up again. His father. It had been right under his very nose this whole time. 

"Kid, it might just be a coincidence," Plagg said for what felt like the millionth time. Adrien couldn't bring himself to reply. He could still see his father kick the man to the ground, see the darkness in his eyes, the snarl at his mouth. 

Even a week later he couldn't shake the feeling of total betrayal. 

"Adrien." Tikki's soft voice came from behind him, "For what it's worth, I don't think it's your father. I don't think he is involved with HawkMoth." 

"Why?" Adrien breathed shakily, his eyes closed, his head resting against the bark. Wave after wave of nausea was washing over him with every thought that the answer had been under his nose this whole time. 

"Well Plagg would have noticed something," Tikki said. Her words were meant to be comforting, but Adrien barely heard them. 

They had been running for a week now. As Chat Noir he could cover vast amounts of ground in a short amount of time. They had left India and were almost across china. They had covered maybe a fourth of the distance with Chat Noir's acrobatic skills, without which they would still be in the same mountains they had been stopped in. After they had spent a few days with no other transportation, they realized getting to Ladybug or Marinette quickly would be near impossible. So they diverted to a nearby city. It was only when they were on the way out of the city in a small broken down car with no heater and several paper bags of groceries, which mostly consisted of cookies and camembert, that Adrien realized they had been in Lhasa. The city his father had been trying to get to. The realization that his father might have only been hours away from him made him step on the gas and not look back. 

After all the time he had been fighting Hawkmoth, how could he not realize his father was in league with him. He couldn't stand facing him anytime soon. 

Now, three days later in Ürümqi, a city on the outskirts of Mongolia as Adrien leaned against the side of a tree, he thought again of the facts he had: His father had a book of Miraculous wielders. He had brought the same book with them on their trip. The kingdom they had been forced to stop in was the place where an old miraculous protector lived. Mr. Wangdi had told Adrien of the sacred temple which had been destroyed, the temple had been in Tibet. The same place Gabriel Agrest wanted to go. 

Adrien didn't believe in that many coincidences. There were some things he couldn't overlook. His father, whether he liked it or not, was not innocent. 

"Adrien?"  
"What, Tikki?" Adrien snapped, still breathing heavily, "Ladybug isn't far away. I can sense her. If we can get to her fast we can determine if your father actually is in leagues with--"

"Yeah. Good idea." He cut her off. He straightened and turned, forcing himself to hike back up the hill to the car.

* * *

Gabriel observed Samir's tan and beaten face over the screen. Unfortunately, he couldn't be there to question them in person, no planes were flying because of Ladybug's trick with his plane. But Gabriel trusted his worker to do the job right. Next to Samir sat the still form of his wife, Aditi. Their children had been brought into the next room. Gabriel assumed they didn't need to see their parent's torture session. He wasn't a monster. Yet. 

"I swear sir! We did nothing to aid Marinette! We didn't know you knew her. We don't know where she is!" 

Gabriel surveyed him calmly as the man in black circled the two. 

"But you see," Gabriel said evenly, "I don't believe in coincidences. So if you don't tell me where the girl is I might be forced to do something drastic." 

When Samir didn't say anything Gabriel raised his voice, "Number 1, maybe his wife will tell us something."

The man in the mask had soft blank brown eyes, he had thick black boots, on his shoulder, there was a stitched purple butterfly. 'Number 1' lifted a cattle prod to Aditi's tensed neck. He waited for a beat, staring at Samir, but when Samir did nothing but scream again that he knew nothing, Number 1 let the stream of electricity flow through Aditi. 

Her cry was one of pure pain. She was only still in her seat because she was tied there. She looked blearily up at Samir, her normally sleek hair was surrounding her face like that of a lion. But she did not feel fierce. She reached for her husband with one of her tied hands, she couldn't touch him, not quite. 

"My love..." She mouthed. He gazed back at her, only pain displayed on his face. His fingers twitched toward her. But they couldn't reach.

"Now." Gabriel Agrest's harsh voice came back through the speaker, "Tell me... Where is the girl?"  
"I don't know!" Samir cried at him in frustration, his attention was drawn back to the computer he dearly wanted to smash. He tore at his bonds so severely that Number 1 had to physically restrain him. 

"Well...That's too bad." Gabriel's lips curled upwards. 

"Number one," He called to the masked man who had failed in bringing in Ladybug, "After we deal with these two, come to me. I want you to find my son." Number one nodded. 

"Now. I am going to give you just one more chance. If you don't tell me where Marinette Dupain-Cheng is things will get very...difficult."  
"You think we're lying but we're not. I didn't help someone break into the database! I don't know who you are, or who the girl is to you! We don't know! Please believe me." 

Gabriel smiled, "Don't worry Samir. I'm about to." Turning his attention to his goon he said, "Number 1. Bring in the children."


	21. Oymyakon

"I'm telling you we're lost." 

Marinette didn't know where she was. She didn't even know what time it was, the digital clock in the car had cracked, the numbers glitched. She thought it must be midday, but the flat white clouds obscured the sun, giving no clues. Alexander kept stubbornly telling her that he wasn't lost. She didn't believe it. They had no map, no GPS, nothing. The only directions they had was the road. Forward or backward. 

The terrain was rocky and covered in frost. Marinette was sure she was going to freeze to death. The heating system did nothing to warm her. She was sure it must be twenty below zero, she shivered and ran her tongue over her chapped lips. Her legs were tucked under her, her arms wrapped so tightly around herself she was holding onto her shoulder blades. 

The further they got the more annoyed she became. Just like a man to never ask for directions. Not like they could. The last town had been hours back. But Marinette still thought they should turn around. They just seemed to be getting further and further from any type of civilization. 

Alexander looked over at her shivering form.

"We're not lost." He laughed. 

"then where are we?"  
"Well.." He cut off, looking around. 

"I'd say we're definitely in the mountains."  
"No kidding," Marinette said snappishly, though her reply was cut off with a shudder of cold. Alexander didn't seem affected by the cold at all. He was wearing just a jacket for warmth, while Marinette had bundled up with every rug in the car and was still shivering violently. 

"Will you just turn around?" Marinette asked.

"Oh come on. We'll come to a sign eventually."  
"Fine but if that sign says we're in the north pole, I'm driving," She sighed, "Why aren't you cold anyway?"

"I come from a place a lot colder than this. This doesn't really bother me." 

"where are you from?"  
"It's a town in Russia: Oymyakon"

"What's it like there?"  
"It's beautiful. Really beautiful. But you can't stay outside unless you want to freeze your balls off." 

"I find it hard to believe there's a place colder than this," Marinette said, rubbing her hands together. 

Alexander smiled slightly, "It can get as cold as negative sixty degrees, sometimes colder in the winter months. As kids, my sisters and I would curl up next to the fire our father would stoke...Oymyakon is known as the land of the cold. Our eyelashes would freeze with snow, if you spat it would freeze before it hit the ground and then shatter. the houses looked like big white boulders in the distance...Sometimes in the summer my sisters and I would go skiing. It was still bitterly cold but," alexander's voice softened, "my sisters always loved it. We'd race each other down. I broke my arm once. They teased me the whole way back to the house, but I could tell they were worried. They carried me the whole way back. Even though I could walk."  
Alexander kept his eyes on the road and his hands on the wheel, but his eyes hardened slightly, a shiver quite apart from the cold seemed to pass through the car. 

"You never told me you have sisters." 

"Had." There was a long silence following this. 

Finally, Marinette said, "What happened?" 

"Car wreck. When I was twelve. My sisters Nadia and Mila didn't make it. I did." another long silence. 

"Mila...Mila was three years older than me and my twin Nadia. She..." He cleared his throat, "She kept asking for Nadia when she was in the hospital. She was delirious on pain killers, thought Nadia was with her. But Nadia didn't even make it out of the car."

"I'm-I'm so sorry," Marinette said, quite forgetting the cold for a moment, the horror of his words had shocked her, and an uncomfortably hot stinging sensation hung in her chest like a lead weight. 

Alexander glanced over at her, "Yeah."

After a moment Alexander continued. Marinette didn't want him to. She didn't want to hear about his other sister dying. It was too terrible. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to let a tear slip out. 

"Mila...She was never the same."  
"But I thought you said-"  
"Yeah. I did...She was always looking for Nadia. Like she couldn't quite believe she was gone. She lasted a year. She ran away three times. The last time she came back she didn't want to talk. Our dad didn't know what to do. He just let her storm to her room. Her moods always blew over in a few days. My dad just told me to wait it out. That she needed space." He snorted in disbelief, "The next morning she told our dad and me she was going for a walk."   
Marinette couldn't bear it. Alexander's voice was flat, as though if he showed any emotion he would break down. 

"Later that day, she set off a firecracker on a mountain padded with fresh snow...It caused an avalanche... We never found her."

"Why...Why would she do that?"  
"We think it was on purpose. She always said she didn't want to go any old way. She always joked she wanted to be thrown into a volcano or fight a mountain lion when it was her time. I guess this was her way of saying goodbye...But like I said, she didn't survive that car crash. Not really." 

Marinette couldn't help it. She sniffed and wiped the hot tears from the corners of her eyes. 

The car slowed down, Alexander coasted to the side of the road and parked. 

"What are we doing?" Marinette asked. 

Alexander said nothing but unbuckled his seat belt and yanked off his hoodie.

"Here," he said, handing her the hoodie. She took it, pulling it on over her sweater. 

"I'm sorry," he said with a watery smile, 

"It's okay...I'm glad I know. Thank you for the jacket"

They drove several more miles in silence. Then Alexander let out an exclamation which quite unseated Marinette.

"Aha!" He said, pointing ahead to a broken-down old sign, 'Ürümqi 十英里'

"Ürümqi ten miles! We are officially in China!" 

Marinette let out a shaky laugh, "I guess you were right."   
The mood lightened after that. 

The mountains began to give way to fields of cotton and then tiny farmhouses. The sun even dared to peek through its shoji of clouds. 

One minute they were watching a horse gnaw lazily at a clump of grass, and the next they had turned a curve and were looking down onto an immense, dazzling city. 

"So, we're here. Want to get a bite to eat?" Alexander asked.   
Marinette smiled at him, and he smiled back, his honey eyes crinkling. 

They stopped to eat at a small place on the edge of town. Marinette ordered in Chinese and helped Alexander order. 

"So tell me more about this Kohara," Marinette said, expertly guiding noodles to her mouth with a pair of blue and gold inlaid chopsticks.

"Kohara was a bit of a mystery. As I said, I never knew him, but from all reports, he kept himself to himself, which is pretty unusual for a superhero. No one ever found out his identity. The worst part is that when he went missing, no one knew he had been killed.

"He rarely gave interviews, and only ever showed up to save someone. He didn't give anyone a chance to talk to him unless they needed help. It took a couple of months for the general public to realize he was gone. And even then many people thought he had family issues or had become a dad or just needed a break from the hero gig. It actually wasn't even 'til a year later when my organization came into practice that we realized it must have been more than that."

"What was his power?" 

"Mainly hand to hand combat, like you and Chat Noir. Not unlike your lucky charm or Chat Noir's cataclysm, he also had a power which he could bring to a fight if he couldn't seem to win. He could turn into this sort of vapor, like a fog. It would stop the enemy from being able to strike, but he could still attack. But that's a very specific power. Since his disappearance around six years ago, his power hasn't been seen anywhere. Which is curious: If Hawkmoth has it, why isn't he putting it to good use? So either Hawkmoth failed at getting the Miraculous and it's lost, or it appears he's playing the long game."

"And do you know what the long game is?"

"We have an idea, but so far it's just that. The problem is, with Pilolla backing Hawkmoth it's much harder to find flaws in his attacks."

"Ok, you keep talking about Pilolla like he's common knowledge, but how do you even know he exists?"

"There were accounts of him many years ago. He attempted to steal Wonderwoman's miraculous. She defeated him, how I can't say. Afterward, Pilolla was shipped off to a place in China, Drapachi Prison."

"But if he's in Prison then-"

"That's the thing. We've been keeping very close tabs on Pilolla. No one knows what he looks like, even in the prison he commands a certain authority hard to find anywhere else. At first, our organization thought of it as a 'biggest bully in the playground' type thing and weren't worried about it. However, it seems to be more than that. The prison has become unresponsive in requests to visit the prisoner. In fact, the warden is adamant that no one sees him.

We think Pilolla has begun running the prison as a base of operations. It's unclear if he still has his Miraculous or not, which is why we think Pilolla contacted Hawkmoth. Hawkmoth is just a pawn, Pilolla is the one we need to defeat. "

Marinette sat back in her chair, processing.

They finished eating in silence. 

When they left Marinette pulled the hoodie tighter around her small form. Looking back at the small square cafe she received a shock, and to be honest it felt like a sign. The loopy lettering of the Restaurant's name spelled out the words, MiLa Ji. Marinette didn't point this out to Alexander but walked behind him in silence to the car. 

"Your sisters," Marinette began after they were in the relative warmth of the car, 

"Yeah?" 

"Are they the reason you joined the army?"  
"No. Well yes, but in many ways, it was because of my father. He kind of broke after Mila died. He told me that when I was old enough I had to leave, that everything bad that had ever happened to our family was because of the cold. Pneumonia which took my mother, the icy road which took Nadia, and the Avalanche which took Mila." He sighed, "I guess he didn't want me taken too."

Marinette didn't speak for a second. It seemed to her like a terrible reason to send a child away, but then again she had not lived those horrors, and perhaps she would think differently if she had. 

"So I'm guessing he didn't choose the army for you?"

Alexander smiled, "No I chose that on my own, I wanted to fight, to get out of my head."

"That's one of the reasons I became Ladybug..."

"Well, I definitely understand that." Alexander laughed.

He started the car but didn't start driving yet, "Have you wondered yet why I told you to call me T?"

"Yes, I have actually."

"It's because that's what Nadia used to call me. She said I had eyes the color of Tea." He put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot and pulled out onto the main road, and then, more to himself than to Marinette he said, "What I wouldn't give to see them again."

And it was as though a lightbulb had gone off in Marinette's head. Aditi would never get the chance to see her brother again. Alexander would never again see his sisters. And here Marinette was, throwing her family away. And suddenly a pang of misery hit her, Alya. What if she never saw Alya again? What if she never saw her Maman and Papa again? What if she never saw Chat Noir again? What if she never saw them again?

It had only been a week and a few days since she had seen them, but suddenly the distance between them seemed insurmountable in both geography and time. And even as they sped down the street away from her family, towards a danger that might just be the end of her, Marinette found herself wondering, 

What won't I do to see them again?


	22. Number 1

Adrien was confused. While Tikki said that she could sense Ladybug was very close to them, they had been driving for hours and the 'signal' or whatever Tikki called it, was not getting any clearer. 

Ladybug was close. a fact which both elated and confused him. While he couldn't wait to see his lady again after more than a week, her presence also brought up some very difficult questions. 

Why on earth was she in China? She had not only run, but it seemed she had run straight to him. But this was absurd. If she knew Chat Noir was so close why didn't she show herself? Let him know she was ok? 

There had been moments of the day where he had caught himself fantasizing something along the lines of her following him all across Aisa to profess her love. But fantasy and reality were two very different things. 

And there was also the question of exactly who those people who attacked Gabriel and himself were. Maybe, he thought...Maybe she was there to bring them down. 

It was all so frustrating. It felt as though an invisible hand was forcing movements across the board, but Adrien couldn't see who was operating it. Something or someone large was at play here, and inexplicably the famous Chat Noir found himself on the outskirts, straining to see what was going on within. 

He had the outer puzzle pieces, but he could only build the frame, his father had detoured to Mr. Wangdi. An old Miraculous holder. His plane had been blown up, and then only hours later his car attacked and the Miraculous book stolen. 

But why? Something big was in play, maybe that was why Ladybug was here. Maybe that was why she had traveled so far. But there was the question again: Why didn't she approach Chat Noir? 

Unless...And a sudden thought occurred to him...unless she wasn't aware of his presence. 

He kicked at the dirt beneath his shoe broodingly. It was near midnight. They had stopped on the side of the road so Adrien could stretch and work off some of his bad mood. Tikki, while obviously very concerned for Ladybug, was never the less annoyed when Adrien interrupted her and Plagg's catching up with long sighs. 

Adrien cracked his arms behind his back, fingers interlaced, and then brought them over his head to stretch, his tall slouching shadow was multiplied several times by the street lamps set far apart. 

They were on the outskirts of Ürümqi. Rundown convenience stores stood lonely and alien against the tufts of dull bushes and uneven dirt which was blown every which way by the wind which couldn't seem to choose a direction. 

Adrien ran his hands through his hair, and then again for good measure. He kicked a rock. It skipped several feet before skittering into the gutter across the street. 

Ladybug was no closer. Perhaps there was something wrong with Tikki's sensor. 

Now that he came to think of it, he wasn't even sure if that was possible. They had been driving in circles for the past half hour, getting lost in the same spot a half dozen times, before coming back to where they had temporarily stopped. 

He took in a long, relaxing breath. He couldn't find Ladybug, but that would be ok. Just because he couldn't find her didn't mean he couldn't find Marinette as well. And as he thought this a completely unbidden, unwelcome voice in his head reminded him that she could already be dead. 

_No_. He thought sharply. _No. He would know_. How, he couldn't explain. But it felt like she was still alive. It felt like she was close. This thought, while not backed up with proof in any way, cheered him up a fraction. He half-heartedly kicked another rock to his left and continued on his pacing. 

He heard the rock bounce, once, twice...Nothing. 

He listened for a second. 

No sound of it rolling into the gutter. Only the soft hum of crickets. 

He turned around. 

A man was standing, one steel-toed boot resting on the freshly turned rock. 

Adrien jumped back in horror. The man was wearing a mask, only his chocolate brown eyes were visible, his lips curled slightly, chillingly, upward.

* * *

Adrien automatically backed away, but as though he and the stranger were connected by a string, for every step Adrien took back, the man took forward. It was deathly quiet. Perhaps an omen of what was to come. 

Adrien hesitantly took a step back to the car. The man, whoever he was, blocked his path. 

"What's your name?" 

"You're going to come with me. Someone is waiting for you."

Adrien swallowed. His father? 

His way to the car was blocked, the only thing behind him was a vast expanse of suffocating darkness he didn't much fancy getting lost in. 

"No. NO." 

The word was obviously expected. At the first occurrence of its utterance, the man had stepped forward. Adrien prepared himself for a fight. He could see Plagg gazing fearfully at him through the glass. Adrien shook his head a fraction of an inch. He didn't want to give his identity away, especially if it was his father who had sent this man. 

"If my father sent you, you're wasting your time!" Adrien called to the man. Both were still tensed, poised to strike, circling each other slowly. 

"I'm taking you to Pilolla." The man said, a trace of a smile in his voice. 

The name was oddly familiar, though Adrien couldn't think why. 

He was getting nervous. But, he reminded himself, it was nothing unlike fighting another Akuma. He hoped. 

At the exact same moment, they lunged at each other. The wind began to pick up, twisting ferociously. Adrien's fist connected with the man's jaw. Unexpectedly, he dropped almost immediately, clutching his face. Adrien backed away again, perplexed. Until he saw that the man's jaw was already slightly swollen as though from an old injury that had not quite healed. And as the man looked up at him, Adrien saw that one of his teeth was missing. 

And Adrien suddenly found himself on his back, his legs kicked out from under him. 

"You're coming with me." The man shouted over the wind, great gusts blowing in every which way, whipping Adrien's hair into his eyes. 

Due no doubt to several years of Plagg's gifts, Adrien hissed at him. The man lunged and Adrien rolled out of the way just in time. 

He had seen that lunge before. 

But where?   
They were now in each other's original places, Adrien sprawled next to his car. "Who's Pilolla?!" he yelled but received no answer.

The man straightened and lunged again. 

And suddenly Adrien knew where he had seen this man before. 

Adrien pulled himself to his feet. A fist connected with his stomach but his rage was so strong he barely felt it. 

He caught the masked stranger by the collar and spun him around, smashing him against the car so hard the window cracked. The man's eyes were blank of any fear or emotion except for anger. 

"It was you!" Adrien screamed into his face, "You attacked Mari!" He pulled him away from the car and threw him back against it, "Where is she?! What have you done with her?"   
Suddenly a flicker of fear passed like a shadow across the man's face. 

Of course, it was him. Adrien knew it. How many times had he watched and rewatched that video, looking for any clue as to who the masked assailant was? 

Rage. Pure unfiltered rage such as he had never felt in his life coursed through his veins. It was lucky he hadn't transformed or he might have cataclysmed the man. 

The man blinked. Adrien didn't understand this reaction. 

He slammed him once more against the car, "Where is she?!" 

The man didn't answer. 

"Did she give that to you?" Adrien asked, pointing at the large gap in his front teeth.   
Slowly the man nodded. 

"Then where is she?" Adrien asked, his voice cracked on 'she' a note of panic he had hoped to quell had risen up before he could stop it.

He blinked again, slower this time, "We don't have her." And his soft scared chocolate eyes connected with Adrien's. Had Adrien not been so angry he would have recognized these reactions as signs of defeat, but the only thing he held any notice for were the man's words. 

Adrien drew back his fist and aimed it at the man's face, and brought it crashing down upon him. Except his fist never connected with teeth. Instead, his hand hit the metal door frame. Adrien yelled out in pain, clutching his hand.   
Desperately he looked around, where could he have gone? It was as though he had disappeared. One moment he had been there, the next he was completely gone. 

Adrien, dripping with cold sweat, clutching his bruised hand, kicked another stone into the night and swore loudly under his breath, breathing heavily. 

Had he not been so wrapped up in the fight, he would have noticed a light mist several feet away from him. But he didn't. He swore and kicked the car tire repeatedly, and the fog drifted away into the night. 

Adrien had been so intent on finding Marinette he had quite forgotten to ask about Pilolla. But if Marinette had been attacked by one of Pilolla's goons than she, somehow or other, had gotten herself wrapped up in a battle of Miraculous. 

But if they didn't have her, as everyone assumed, then where was she?

* * *

SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER

"Number 1, bring in the children."

The words hung like a noose in the room. Samir felt time slow, and yet speed up. Number 1 was already gone to the neighboring room, Aditi was hurling curses and insults at the small pixelized image of Hawkmoth,

"You son of a bitch! You bastard! Let us go! Let our children go!"

She screamed the last sentence as a lion would roar at the tamer holding a whip. Her struggling was futile, but she did not accept it: continuing to twist her wrists until they bled, the chair thumping up and down with every attempt to pull herself out of it. Samir's horror at those four words hawkmoth had uttered was not punctured by Aditi's yelling, instead, her hysteria only forced him deeper into his shocked panic. 

A minute passed in which he could hear nothing but his heart shredding his rib cage although he could feel himself screaming, spit flying, his children's lives flashing before his eyes. 

Number 1 came back into the room, Karun and Diya now at his side. When Samir saw their faces he stopped screaming as did Aditi, but he slumped sideways in his chair, tears streaming down his freshly bruised face. Through his panic, he could hear as if from a distance his wife speaking to their children, a tremor in her voice but her tone brusk, as though they were not an inch away from death.

"Children...everything is going to be fine, Diya look at me," for Diya had begun to cry.

"We are going to be ok-" but Hawkmoth cut across her.

"Now. Samir. I am going to give you to the count of three to tell me where Ladybug is. If you don't tell me," a cool edge was to his voice, "I will have Number 1 put a bullet through your son's head. And I'm sure none of us want that." 

At these words, Aditi let out a scream of misery. 

"One, " Number 1 grabbed the boy by the shoulder and raised a sleek silver pistol to his head. Number 1's eyes were blank.

"PLEASE NO! PLEASE!"

"Two.." Number 1 cocked the gun. He blinked. His eyes shifting all around the room, finally landing on Aditi. 

"NO!" 

"Thr-" he began, but Number 1, who had been watching Aditi watching her son, dropped the gun to his side. 

For a split-second, Hawkmoth looked confusedly at him and then Number 1 said loudly, "No."

Aditi was gasping for breath, Samir was staring in astonishment at the man who threw the gun down and dropped to his knees, pushing the child back to his sister.

"nO" he cried, his voice hoarse and rugged, his hands clasped together against the ground, his head pressed to them. "I will not," he said more forcefully, "I will not! I cannot! I WILL NOT!" 

There was silence from Hawkmoth's end for a moment, Samir's ears were ringing in the silence only punctuated by the man's dry sobs. Finally, Hawkmoth said quietly, lethally, "Number 1...Stand up." 

An outline of a purple butterfly flashed in front of Number 1's face. His eyes were red, the skin around them flushed as though it had taken him copious amounts of physical exertion just to say those few short words. "n-no!" 

Hawkmoth did not seem perturbed, "Number 1. Stand up." He said more forcefully. The outline shone more clearly. Again Number 1 did nothing. 

"Number. 1. Stand. Up." This time, something snapped. Number 1 got to his feet. Samir's heart fell. 

"Now..." Hawkmoth said, "pick up the gun." 

Number 1 struggled as though ties were pulling him towards the gun, his arms bent weirdly as he tried to stop them from reaching for the pistol. But after a minute's struggle, the invisible force seemed to win and his hand closed around the gun. All that was visible were his eyes and his mouth, a thick black mask obscuring the rest of his face, but Samir could tell that the struggle was wearing him out, his mouth was bared in a snarl and Samir saw that one of his teeth was missing. 

"Now Number 1, you will shoot this boy unless his father tells me what I want to know." 

"GO TO HELL!" Number 1 burst at him, the gun tight in his hand, struggling against his own hand's power. But inch by inch the gun raised. 

"Number 1. Now."

It was as though some element of his being snapped closed. One second he was struggling to make his hand drop the gun, the next his shoulders straightened and his eyes cooled. Anger replaced his fear, and something almost inhuman passed across the little of his features they could see. The gun was brought back up. 

"Wonderful. We mustn't let this occur again. Now. One, Two," And Samir knew there would be no hesitating this time. 

"Stop!" He yelled, "I'll tell you." The gun lowered once more. Samir let out a gasp of relief. 

"I know where Ladybug is." He could feel his wife's eyes snap to him. 

"I am with resistance. I helped them crash your servers. We do not have your son. And Ladybug is on her way to China."

There was a shocked silence for a moment. Aditi broke it, "That girl w-was Ladybu-?"

Again Hawkmoth cut her off, "tell me more." He said eagerly. 

Again Samir spoke. The words were torn from him as his eyes stayed trained on the gun still poised to raise, "My wife and me meeting her was no accident. It was carefully planned. We-the resistance- got her on a plane to China after he," Samir nodded at Number 1, "attacked her." 

"So you can tell me everything about this resistance?" Asked Hawkmoth, A definite note of glee in his voice now. 

"No-" 

"Number 1-" The gun raised.

"I only know parts of it. I know some names and only a few of the game plans." He said, desperate to keep the gun pointed at the floor. 

"Ok. Number 1. You know what to do. " 

The gun raised once more. 

Aditi let out a scream more terrible than anything Samir had ever heard. But the gun did not stop to point at Karun but continued up to the ceiling. 

Aditi's tear-stained face was crooked upward in confusion and terror toward it. And then, "No!" As the gun was brought down with crushing force onto Samir's head. 

He crumpled sideways, unconscious. His children began to cry, Aditi shushing them, trying to comfort them as she sobbed herself. And then without warning the gun connected with her skull as well, leaving her children hysterical. 

"Number 1. Put them on a plane to me. The airways should be open now, as for the children... ship them to the closest relative; we'll use the wife for collateral now. And then come to me. I need you to find my son."


	23. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Nino chapter

Alya ran her fingers gently over the black cuffs of her dress lying on the bed, The dress was a calm black, flowy like water, it was nearly floor-length, spaghetti-strapped, no leg slit, no tulle. It seemed...inappropriate, somehow. It was too long. She had fussed with the length of it for nearly a quarter of an hour, struggling to figure out how to hem the stonewashed fabric.   
She wished Marinette was here. Marinette could sew it in twenty minutes. But if she was here there would be no need to sew the dress at all. She had a black blazer that was only slightly too big. If she added pearls it was a little better. 

It wasn't fair, she thought for about the millionth time. It wasn't fine. The funeral was in the morning. Alya felt empty, she felt cheated, she felt grief and an overbearing sense of anger. Anger at herself, anger at Marinette's parents, anger at Lila, but most of all she was angry with whoever had killed Marinette and then sent a card of regrets. 

Tears fell down her face onto the dress, onto the black and white bedspread, onto her hand which was still toying with the fabric. Alya pushed the dress onto the floor and then curled up on her bed, her pillow sopping up the tears. 

It must have been midnight when she finally drifted off, her arms around her waist, her hair lion-like and her face tear-stained.

_Marinette was outside, knocking on the door. Alya called out, reached for the silver doorknob, but the knob seemed to stretch and bend until it had completely morphed into a large padlock. Alya grasped it and tugged, but it was locked. Outside she could hear Marinette sobbing, asking Alya to understand, to let her in._

_"Never" She yelled at her, but she was still trying to open the door. But Marinette was getting farther and farther away, her voice echoing now. Alya, giving up on the door, ran to the window. Outside was a world upturned. Cars were smashed on the side of the road, police were pointing their guns at each other, seemingly oblivious to Marinette who was grappling with a man in a mask._

_The man was somehow ten times worse than anything Alya could have imagined, he was flickering, his eyes glowing out of his head like some kind of satanic beast, he was steadily growing taller, his muscles more pronounced, he seemed to stretch like putty until he solidified into a hulk of a man, ugly, greasy and gaunt. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Marinette's head, "NO" Alya shouted, banging on the window which refused to break, and the ugly man leered over Marinette as she backed away, the gun was leveled at her head, "Alya help me!" and then the masked man pulled the trigger. Alya's screams were heightened as she banged as hard as she could on the window with something in her hand, only to look down and find the freshly fired gun._

"Alya?" The voice was quiet, calm. It was still dark, a hand was on her shoulder. 

"Nino?" 

"Babe, are you ok?" she sat up, Nino looked alarmed, "You were crying," 

Alya grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, "Nino." She let out a sob, "It's all my fault. It's my fault she ran away, it's my fault she's dead!" she hiccupped. 

His arms wrapped tightly around her, his hand in her hair. "Alya, nothing is your fault." His voice was gentle, the hand in her hair massaged her neck. She clung to his shirt. 

"Why are you here?" She asked into his shoulder. The last time they had seen each other they had gotten into a vicious fight. She had thought he never wanted to see her again. 

"I wanted to make sure you were alright, before the funeral." He said softly, then he pulled her away from him, still holding her, now looking into her eyes, "But on my way over, I got a call." And Alya was surprised to see a tremor of excitement pass over his face. 

"Nino?"

"And it was...it was Adrien, Alya." 

"It was Adrien?" The words shocked her, Nino's best friend had been labeled missing more than a week ago, it had sent Alya over the edge. "It was Adrien?" excitement ran through her, "Is he alright? Is he safe?"

"Not only that..." Nino was smiling now, "Alya...He doesn't think Marinette's gone." 

Alya's face fell, "Don't mess with me, Nino." 

"Alya," he grabbed her by her shoulders, "I told him about the letter. It wasn't real. It isn't real." 

Now Alya grabbed Nino's hands, her face still shining with tears, "Nino, What did he say?" 

"He wasn't kidnapped. He ran away Alya. He ran away to find Marinette." Nino laughed, "Always the hero. He found the guy who took her. Not only did the guy not kill her, but she also escaped. Whatever that note was...it was a diversion. Marinette is alive. I don't know what she's wrapped up in, but she's alive." 

Alya was laughing, well she was laughing and crying. She grabbed Nino's face and kissed him. They fell back onto the bed, she knocked his hat off, they rolled over, his hands gripping her sides. She pulled away, "Oh my god! Nino! We have to tell her parents!"

* * *

They scurried out of the house, one in the morning, Alya jubilant and Nino starstruck.

The next morning the funeral was canceled. The parents tried to reach out to Adrien, to find him and get him back to his father safely, but the number he had called from was a payphone somewhere in China. 

The news was swiftly passed along to Gabriel Agrest. He was told his son's whereabouts, and the information regarding Marinette, and was reassured that Adrien would be ok. 

Alya and Nino spent the afternoon together. They couldn't find anything else to do, what with Chat Noir and Ladybug gone, they couldn't find anyone to help, but for the first time in a while, Alya felt hope. Their friends were alive. And they were going to come home.


	24. Gravity

The only thing that broke through Marinette's haze was the leaves. The leaves. That possessed no sense of achievement; Not because they did not amount to whatever their social standards were, Marinette struggled to think of any, but because they never needed to believe they were enough. They blossomed, slowly unfurling, filling with rain and then drying, the summer gave them a majesty with which there was no need to compete. Their green veins turning golden as the Fall slowly hardened them. 

In her shaky, void of any thought except that of her own failures and insecurities, Marinette looked up to see the current state of a leaf which seemingly had no problem with living out its natural course. It was a dark brown, tips curled under slightly. 

It didn't find faults with living. 

Marinette however couldn't help but pick at the meaning of the world which had picked her apart.

Her crying was not pretty. It was not dignified. It was not a sniffle deftly ignored. How easy it was to dismiss the shattering of a mind as a cold. But, she chided herself, even if someone was close enough to hear her they would not stop.

She was underneath an apple tree. 

An apple tree.   
Wasn't that where Issac Newton famously discovered gravity? 

Marinette was discovering a force that tugged down, a force more powerful than any. 

Her eyes, filled with prisms, closed. The rainbows cascaded down her cheeks, though all she could see was black. 

_Lila was holding her by her neck. Mari's feet barely touched the ground._

_"Maybe one day you'll realize what I've been telling you is a fact." It was a whisper. A whisper which could topple worlds, if conducted in the right manner, "And on that day..." There was a smile in her voice, "you'll say goodbye." Marinette gasped through what little gap of her windpipe was not being crushed by Lila._

_"Let me down." Mari choked, her eyes brimming._

_"Give me a reason."_

_Mari struggled to prompt a reasonable response while her brain was slowly clouding. After a second of Mari choking, Lila smiled, "Good. You're learning."_

_"I can't breathe."_

_Leaning in even closer, until Marinette could no longer see her face, Lila breathed, "I didn't realize trash deserved to breathe."_

_Marinette buried her face into her hands. Somehow, though her only offense had been the most atrocious one of existing, her crimes had perpetuated the bullying. Or at least that was what Mari was told every other day,_

_"You know...you're bringing this on yourself. If you weren't here you wouldn't be having this problem...would you?" Lila asked maliciously._

Marinette hadn't expected this onslaught of memories. Hadn't expected to run her thumb over the scar on the back of her left hand subconsciously one more time. 

_"Alya!" A sigh of relief. A break from the uncertainty and panic. The door was only opened a sliver; visible was an eyebrow and an eye, half of a philtrum, and the better side of a slightly uneven pair of full lips. The eyebrow tensed. Marinette made to step forward. The door closed a fraction. A frown marred Mari's features._

_"Alya?"_

_"Marinette. What do you want?" The tone was indifferent...cold, even._

_"To talk...Is now a bad time?"_   
_"No." the answer was quick._

_"Can I come in?"_

_"No."_

_There was silence._

_"I wanted to talk about Lila...But we don't have to. We could go see a movie, or bake something or-or just scroll on our phones on your couch and do nothing."_

_"I don't think so Marinette."_

_"Alright."_

_Mari stepped back. Needy wasn't her repertoire._

_Before she could even turn away the door was shut._

Marinette scrunched her eyes. Tried not to think of what happened next. It was like trying to ignore a bullet: possible for a split second before it ripped into her side. 

_She was halfway down the street when she heard a door open. She glanced back. Above her on her balcony Alya stood, leaning over._   
_"Marinette?"_   
_"Yeah?"_

_"Can you not come over anymore?"_

_Marinette stood in silence._

_Did she ask why? Did she just accept it? Did she argue?_

_As her heart cracked her face hardened,_

_"Fine."_

_And she turned and continued to march down the street, flinching when the french doors slammed shut._

And today...Today had been a disaster. What was Alexander thinking? He had been in the wrong...He had been rude...He had been...Like everyone else. Or was it just her fault as usual? 

_"Finally!" Alexander broke out into a smile, "We're in Lhasa!" It was two days since the stop at the Mila diner._

_Marinette sat up, she had been slowly dozing. She blinked, "What?"_   
_"We're in Lhasa!" He grinned at her, his eyes crinkling, his teeth a beautiful straight white._

_"Finally! Who is it we're meeting here?"_

_"One of my contacts, she'll explain to you more fully what we're dealing with. Until then, we've got a couple of hours...Want to do something?"_

_So they found themselves strolling through a park. A stone garden overflowing with flowers and greenery. The paths winded and dwindled in many directions, Mari and Alexander took the largest and most obvious one, which led them to a viewing point over dark green water. The park was called Norbulingka, literally Jeweled park. There were roses, petunias, hollyhocks, marigolds, chrysanthemums, rows of herbs in pots, and such a number of rare plants Marinette couldn't name them all._

_She and Alexander stood side by side, looking out at the temple across the water. A ways behind them was the massive building, constructed hundreds of years before, A summer home for the Dalai Lama. Everything was bursting with color, bees flitting merrily between the sea of flowers._

_They continued walking at a leisurely pace._

_It was just them in the garden. The tranquil buzzing, and breeze and idle conversation made it feel like it was just them in the whole world._

_Alexander stopped slightly off the cobbled stone path. He was squatting next to a flower. It had wilted before the others, it's petals closed and drooping._

_"You know, the Buddhists believe that Existence is endless," Marinette sat down next to him, crisscrossed. "But they also believe in impermanence."_

_"What do you mean?"_   
_"They believe no state, good or bad, lasts forever. This flower, wilting right now, will be born again." There was a pause, "I know this trip has been hard on you, I can tell you miss your family, you miss Tikki...I just wanted to remind you that you'll go back. And we won't be fighting this fight forever."_

_Those words were probably the most perfect he could have said at that moment._

_Alexander stood up and reached out for Marinette. She took his hand, and he pulled her up. She was shorter than him, her head at his shoulders. She looked up into his face, he looked down at her. Their bodies were pressed together, their hands still clasped._

_Alexander leaned down, his lips barely brushing hers, waiting for her to close the gap. She did._

_Their lips fit together, their noses brushed, his hand squeezed hers._

_But...It wasn't right, it wasn't right. And all she could picture was Adrien. Adrien's lips, Adrien's voice. The hand-knotted with her own was wrong, the posture more stooped, the hair not soft but buzz cut and bristly. Adrien's hand at her waist, Adrien's hand behind her neck, Adrien kissing her. Wait- Adrien kissing her?_

_Marinette pushed away, their hands disconnected._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"I-just... It's wrong." Marinette fumbled, suddenly embarrassed, suddenly awkward._

_"What's wrong?" Still a question, no anger yet._

_"This...us. I don't know. I'm sorry."_   
_"No. I'm sorry, I thought you liked me." A cool edge now._

_"I did- I do. Just not like that."_

_"Then why did you kiss me?" The edge more pronounced._

_"I thought it was right. I'm so sorry." Marinette, on the defensive now._

_"I would like to know why." His tone curious, his eyes fixed on the ground._

_"Don't make me explain it."_

_"Explain it."_   
_Marinette was getting nervous, her hands fidgeted._

_"There's someone else."_

_His eyes jumped up. The situation was escalating, he was not taking it well._   
_He sucked in a breath._

_"so you what? Just decided to lead me on?"_

_"I wasn't aware I had. If I did I'm sorry."_

_"No. I'm sorry. Sorry I wasted time on you."_   
_Marinette blinked, taken aback._

_"Honestly, you really think you'll go back? They don't love you, Marinette. Even if you do go back they won't take you."_

_A slap pinkened his cheek. His eyes closed, a vein in his jaw pulsing. Then, with a sudden shock of anger, he grabbed her shoulders and threw her to the ground._   
_Marinette was sure if he had thrown her any harder the stone would have cracked._

_"Maybe one day you'll realize it." His hands still on her shoulders, a knee on her stomach._

_The words were painfully similar to Lila's. With a huge effort, Marinette pushed him away and scrambled to her feet._

_"Here." He said, pressing a scrap of paper into her hand, "where you're supposed to go next. I got you here, my work is done."_

_Marinette stared at him, her eyes blazing._

_He turned and began to stroll away, as though he had not just attacked her in the middle of a sacred garden. Over his shoulder, he called, "I thought ladybug was supposed to be special, I guess I thought wrong."_

The tears were flowing steadily now, clinging to her eyelashes and her cheeks. She wiped them away, the paper in her hand was damp. Unreadable. She was no longer in the garden. He had taken the car, so she had walked back into town. She sat next to the lake, alone, under an apple tree, merely staring at the glassy reflections of the opalescent city on the hill behind her. 

Far to her left was a bridge, under it was the current that flowed from the lake into the wide expanse of river. To her right was a ferry docking, tourists and Buddhists, and businessmen. Left or right? Float, or sink?   
She stood and walked, almost floated toward the bridge. It seemed to shimmer, the cars streaming across it reflected the light, families were inside, talking laughing, most likely singing along to bad radio songs. They were gleaming vestiges of what her life had been, and strong reminders of what it now was not. 

There was a footpath. No one would notice. 

When she reached the middle she looked over the white metal bars. The river flowed in perfectly harmonized pockets of water, swirling before rejoining the currents. What was it Alexander had said?

Nothing is permanent? Existence is endless, but no state good or bad lasts forever? Maybe this was the end of a bad state. Maybe she would be cherry blossom, or else a ladybug. One last shiver of memories flooded through her, happy ones of Adrien and Alya and Tikki and her parents and Chat. One last tear coursed down her cheek, she stood on her tiptoes, her flats falling off her heels as she looked over the bar, eyes lost in the swirling, dark tangle of water.


	25. Cruel mistress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just gonna...leave this here. It is what it is. I could have done better, but what with me feeling chronically stupid, lazy af, and it being my birthday, I'm hoping you all can give me a pass?

The water was in his ears. In his eyes. In his mouth. It was collapsing around his chest, contorting him like a marionette. He was blind, or perhaps the water was just very dark. Every bit of him hurt. Which way was up? What just brushed against his leg? Where's oxygen? He was dying, his lungs compressing, the need to inhale painful as he struggled against the urge. He was light-headed, not quite sure what had just happened, but one question burned bright in his mind, even as he felt the pull towards unconsciousness: Where was Marinette? 

* * *

"We've just made a big loop!" Adrien said vexedly, his head pressed against the steering wheel, his hands interlaced around his neck. 

"I'm sure this is the way, Adrien," Tikki said, hovering just above his shoulder. 

"Tikki...Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your sensor?" Adrien asked hesitantly. She had been irritable for a while now, it seemed the distance between her and Ladybug was wearing on her. 

"There's nothing wrong with me, Adrien. I'm not a faulty GPS." Tikki said annoyedly. 

"Okay, I'm sorry. But we're right back in Lhasa, which is the one place in the entire world I don't want to be."   
Adrien ran his hands from his neck up through his hair, "Father's here, and I don't want to see him right now." 

They pulled into traffic. It was early, but Adrien was exhausted. He had been driving for at least thirteen hours, following blind directions from Tikki, who was also looking worn out. 

"I hope she's here." Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck for the millionth time, trying to stave off the tiredness, "It feels like I haven't seen her in months. I miss her."

"When are you and she going to get together already?!" Plagg asked, his eyes rolling. 

"Maybe when the world's not about to end."  
"Are you kidding? That's the best time!"  
Adrien didn't bother responding, he rubbed one eye with his hand, yawning with his other eye on the road. 

"Adrien" came Tikki's voice from beside him, "I think she's close." He slowed down, looking for anyone that resembled Ladybug.

"Take a left here....and a right..." But soon they came to a rather narrow street. No cars allowed. People were pushing past each other, the street was packed.

"Here?"

"Yes, down this road." Adrien immediately pulled the car over. 

They got out, Tikki and Plagg hid in Adrien's pocket. 

Tikki whispered instructions to Adrien, they took a left, and then another, and then another.   
"Tikki? What's wrong?" Adrien whispered worriedly, skirting past a few passersby. 

"I-I don't know. I think I've been away from the earrings too long. Maybe the signal's fading."   
Could that happen? Adrien worried, "Well, maybe we should split up, it will help us find her faster."

Plagg and Tikki agreed.

"Okay, stick to the shadows, make sure no one sees you-" Adrien began, but Plagg cut him off, "Kid. I've been doing this for thousands of years. You don't need to tell me how to hide." 

"Well actually remember that one time with that nice Jamaican tourist? He was just minding his own business when-" Tikki began, 

"Okay okay okay!" Plagg interrupted, "Kid we'll see you later, let's just meet back here in an hour." 

"Good luck everyone," Adrien said, jaw set.

* * *

He had been looking for half an hour, no luck. He had gone down so many side streets he wasn't sure where he was anymore. His eyes wandering, searching for a pair of bright blue eyes among the hazel. He hit a dead end.

He was about to turn round when an idea came to him. He looked around. No one was in sight. Hesitantly, because he didn't have Plagg's protective armor to shield him, he jumped caught onto a jutting brick ledge. He pulled himself up and began to climb. From window to window he scaled upward, trying to stay as out of sight as possible to any observant inhabitants of the building he was treating like a jungle gym. 

When he reached the top a brisk wind slapped him in the face. He sat, cat-like on the building, his hair and the hood of his hoodie being whipped around by the wind, the air freezing as it blew across his sweatpants. He shivered. He stood, arms temporarily out for balance. 

Striding across the ledge to the corner of the building, he looked out across the city. The whitewashed buildings looked odd from up here, like tiles he could jump to. One to the other. The balconies were littered with colorful rugs and flags. The people looked smaller from up here. Like chess pieces. Only a couple blocks away was a wide river, its waters dark and rushing. There were ferries docking and departing.

The people, milling about, the wind whipping across his back, the river, the sun-- low but blinding against the sky--and the buildings and rugs caused anxiety to build in his chest, his heart pounding as he thought of Ladybug, hidden somewhere in this intricate and strange city. 

Adrien spun, looking farther. If he was Ladybug, where would he go? He knew it was most likely a pointless exercise, but he tried all the same. There were businesses selling soaps, bakeries testing out their new egg tarts, a pet shop for god sakes. He knew how much Ladybug adored animals. He suddenly realized how odd it would seem to Ladybug if Adrien Agrest came up to her and tried to speak with her. Well, there was nothing to be done. 

But then he saw it. It was blindingly obvious. A gorgeous gleaming white palace, the highest point across the sprawling city. Even from this distance, Adrien could tell it was overflowing with luscious garden life. He knew in an instant that was where she would be. 

* * *

Adrien was walking swiftly uphill, jogging slightly, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but also not wanting to waste time. There was a large river with a ferry just departing from the shore. Aboard were businessmen, Buddhists, tourists.

He strode along the grass alongside the river. Against the pale sky was a bridge, the arch reflected in the rippling water. The bridge was made of stone, the cars above also reflected slightly in the water, gleaming with the setting sun. Someone was on the bridge, looking out. Adrien continued walking, his hands deep in his pockets. As he neared, the person came into a clearer focus. It was a woman, he realized.

She was wearing a clingy white t-shirt and jeans. her hands were gripping the railings tightly. Her dark hair hung in front of her face. As he watched her she bowed down, pressing her forehead to the railings. Adrien slowed his stride as he neared the bridge, wondering if she was alright. She stayed there for a moment, her body trembling. Adrien came to a full stop now, his heart hammering, staring at the girl. She straightened, her shoulders squaring, and then she pulled herself over the railings. 

Adrien swore and broke into a run. 

"Stop!" He yelled. Her hair was dark blue, her chest was heaving. She was grasping the railing behind her, she leaned slightly forward, looking out at the water. 

Only yards away now he yelled again, grabbing onto the railings and propelling himself forward, "Wait!" 

The girl's head spun. She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes caught with Adrien's only a split second after she let go. Adrien launched himself over the railings. Time seemed to slow. The girl was turned toward him, her arm extended, her pale face framed by her dark hair, her blue eyes were startled, her cheeks were wet, her lips parted in surprise.

It was Marinette. 

He caught onto her outstretched arm and pulled her to him, wrapping around her, turning till his back was to the water, as they plummeted towards the ground. 

Adrien couldn't process it. She had let go. She had jumped.

They hit the water like cement. The wind was knocked out of him, lights blinked before his eyes. The water was all-consuming, dark, and frigidly cold: runoff from the Gangdise mountains. He clung on to Marinette, spinning every which way, trying to find the surface. She was barely moving. They were moving faster than he would have imagined, he was being pulled every which way, Marinette's limp body pulling them down. He tugged her tightly to him with one arm and began stroking through the water with the other. With any luck, it would be the right direction. He was lightheaded, the cold water working fast to freeze his body, slow his brain.

Had it been midday he would have been able to find the surface, but the sun was just cresting the mountains, and the clouds were moving in.

A ferry was making its way downstream. Onboard the atmosphere was amiable and light-hearted if not a little weary. It was a lazy sort of afternoon for the passengers. Ten yards to the right, thirty feet beneath the surface, in a seemingly calm stretch of water, Adrien floundered.

They were spinning, Adrien hit something hard. His mind blurred, and Marinette was brutally torn from his grasp, leaving him spinning in an upside-down watery hell, reaching for her as he slowly drowned. 

* * *

Where was Marinette? 

A minute passed in which he flailed about, his shoes weighing him down. It felt like ten. He reached for her, she must be close. But his fingertips found nothing.

Where was she? He was fading, his eyes weren't working properly, he was sure he was going to drown. But if he drowned that meant she did too. With a huge effort, he forced his brain into action.

Air was lighter than water. Bubbles would rise to the surface. Cupping his hands around his mouth he forced the last bit of oxygen he had from his lungs. He felt the bubbles pass down his chin. So he was upside down. As well as he could with his foggy mind, he spun. The dark seemed to be pulling him apart. With every stroke he took his arms seemed less a part of him. His mind was white. A ringing was in his ears, he felt his body contract and spasm as it fought for oxygen and he fought against it. But his reflexes won, he felt himself begin to inhale...

His head broke the surface of the water. A great breath of oxygen knocked his mind back into action. He took huge gasps, eyes squeezed closed. He kicked to stay afloat, but his clothes were sodden and heavy, making it difficult to keep his head above the surface. He wiped the water from his eyes. With effort, he kicked off his shoes, pulled off his hoodie. He spun around, blinking furiously, eyes searching for anything, but Marinette was nowhere. He was still being pulled downstream and the water was turning his fingers blue. He took a breath that was sharp in his lungs and dove.

The inky blackness submerged him again. His eyes were open, straining to see anything. It was as though he had jumped into a cap full of ink, every way he looked he could see nothing. He dove as far as he dared, his ears popping, hands stretched blindly in front of him. It was no good. He came back to the surface, 

"Marinette!" He yelled. His voice was raw and hoarse, "Marinette?!" The banks were empty, no sodden girl pulling herself out. 

He dove again, swimming furiously, expanding his arms as wide as he could, reaching for her. A third dive revealed nothing new. 

She had jumped. Why the hell had she jumped?

"MARINETTE?!" 

But there was no answering call. He dove again..and again..and again. Each attempt yielding nothing but despair. He was shaking now his entire body tinted blue. 

"M-Marinette" he mumbled through blue lips, though he was numb from something quite apart from the cold. 

"Adrien?"

Adrien turned in the water. It was Tikki. Her large eyes were brimming with fear. Plagg was close behind her.   
  


"Holy-Kid are you okay?" Plagg exclaimed, zigging to Adrien. 

"M-Marinette...She.." Adrien's eyes began to close. He had hit the water too hard, he might have broken ribs. He felt heavy, quite detached from the cold as it tore him apart, he was rising. His head was light, an unsteady thrumming in his ears was all that was keeping him conscious, and even that was fading. Something dully registered as pain. Adrien winced. It happened again. Plagg had smacked him across the face. 

"ADRIEN! TRANSFORM!" 

Adrien lifted his head slightly. Plagg was talking. He could feel his body being dragged down, but he felt oddly light, as though he was rising...

"ADRIEN!"

The ice particles in the water were striking him like knives. he was nearly on his back, still being washed downstream, the city almost out of sight by now. His breath was unstable, he sucked in a breath and let it out, a shiver passing his lips.

"Transform...Transform...ADRIEN TRANSFORM!" Plagg's voice came back to him in snippets. But why should he transform? Marinette was gone.

"Are you going to let her have died in vain?" The words shocked Adrien. Plagg had said, 'died'. Dead. Gone forever. He would never see her again. Marinette. And then the true meaning of the sentence hit him. Someone had ripped her from the street, hurt her, got her wrapped up in the fight against Pilolla. They had caused this. Marinette was gone..no..not gone...Marinette was dead because of them. 

"Kid...Please...Transform." Plagg was emotional, horror and fear etched in every word. 

"C-Claws out."


	26. Gone girl

_24 hours earlier_

Gabriel Agrest grimaced. He was standing stock-still in the middle of a broken-down hotel room. It hadn't been broken down before he had got there. The table was smashed, the couch was sagging, the frame splintered. Gabriel's hair was no longer slicked back and neat, stray hairs had escaped it, his glasses were lopsided, his clothes were torn, his tie loosened to his chest. He would have looked comical had he not been so livid. As it was he was a terrifying and unwanted presence in the room. He grit his teeth, rolled his shoulders. The mirror was broken into shards, many still clinging together in the frame. He looked at his many reflections. Running his tongue up over his teeth and pursing his lips in distaste he reached up and slowly smoothed his hair back down. 

They had, he thought, gotten the point. He straightened his tie, buttoned his suit coat, and then turned to sit on the soft yellow cream sofa. 

He casually crossed his legs and leaned back. He frowned slightly at a bit of lint stuck to the sleeve of his jacket. He picked it off, rolling it into a ball with his thumb and forefinger before flicking it away. 

He looked up, his attention undivided once again, and smiled coldly at his unwilling audience. 

Samir and Aditi glared back at him.

Gabriel observed the damage without pity. He did and would always do what had to be done. 

"I trust I've made myself clear?" Gabriel asked, his voice light. 

"You're a monster" Aditi spat, her eyes dark with hatred. 

Gabriel tutted, "I'm not a monster, I'm just a man." 

"Save us your poetry!" She snapped, shoulders jerking against her bonds. 

Gabriel chuckled now, "You need to get your wife under control, Samir." He said, addressing the man to the left of Aditi. Samir glared at him, obviously wishing him a very violent death. 

"Perhaps you didn't understand me," Gabriel said, buttoning one cuff leisurely, "When I said I would quite literally kill you if you don't tell me where Ladybug is." Samir and Aditi glanced at one another, "I already told you, she's in China." Samir said.

"Yes. She's in china. A country with twenty-three provinces and six hundred and eighty-seven cities; forgive me if I ask you to be a little more specific."

Samir said nothing. Gabriel stood. He strode to Samir and leaned over him, gripping the back of his neck tightly. 

"Do I need to remind you what I will do if you don't comply?"   
Samir only glared at him through the one eye that was not swollen closed and said nothing.

"Very well then...First, I shoot your wife." His voice was dangerously quiet. He made finger pistols at Aditi and mimed pulling the trigger.

"Next...I go for your kids." Two more pretend bullets were released into the ceiling. 

"And then...I kill you." Samir flinched as the fingers were leveled against his forehead.   
"Think about that, before you go protecting a girl you hardly know." Gabriel straightened, his voice returning to its normal volume. 

Samir looked over at Aditi, remorse evident in his eyes. 

"priy mujhe khed hai" _I'm sorry, my love._ He whispered. A tear slipped out of her eye, but she said nothing. 

Turning back to Gabriel, Samir said, "She's coming to Lhasa. She should be here soon."

Gabriel smiled, victorious, "And who, pray tell, is she coming to meet?" 

A full minute passed in which Samir fought with himself, but Hawkmoth knew he had won. 

"She's-she's meeting a woman named Lihua Huang." 

Gabriel Agrest smiled. Finally. Turning to Aditi as he did up his last cufflink he said, "Maybe next time pick someone better." 

She spat at him. 

Gabriel stilled, looking down at the spit on his shoe. 

He backhanded her already bruised face, his ring leaving a cut on her cheekbone. 

She did not look back at him. She kept her head turned from him, her eyes closed. Gabriel knew from the pulsing in her jaw that he had not beaten her, instead, she was furious, and he knew it was only the heavy ropes binding her that were stopping her from attacking him. He could have stayed, could have broken her. But he had what he needed from them. 

Leaving the building he shrugged in disgust. He hated getting his hands dirty, but right now he had no one to help him.

Number 1 was tracking down Adrien. Honestly, that son of his would be his downfall. He was worried about him, Adrien had never been away from him this long. He just needed to make sure his son was safe. All he had to do was wait for Number 1 to bring Adrien to him.

His other workers, Numbers 2 and 3 were trying to find Marinette. He sighed, but it didn't matter. He could handle the rough parts of his job, anything to get Ladybug.

* * *

_Present_

Gabriel smiled grimly. It had been a rough twenty-four hours, but finally, things were going in his favor. The Cheng girl was right where he wanted her. He watched discreetly from a departing ferry as she fell to the water, watched his son dive after her. He almost rolled his eyes, 'now is not the time for heroics, Adrien.' But still, all was going well. 

A minute passed, then two more. Gabriel wouldn't let his nerves get the better of him. Number 1 was standing by, ready to help if things got out of hand, but Gabriel wasn't ready to give away the plan so quickly. He needed his son safe, but he also needed this to work. 

Nevertheless, as the seconds passed Gabriel became more and more anxious, surely they would be alright. He tapped the railings of the ferry, watching the swift water with a dawning feeling of apprehension. If Adrien didn't surface in the next ten seconds he was going in. He had never wanted Adrien to follow Marinette. 

But then he saw something that released the pressure on his heart: The sopping wet form of Adrien Agrest. Gabriel let out an indetectable sigh of relief and turned away from the scene, making sure no one else on the ferry had noticed the boy surface. 

Gabriel watched the banks closely for Marinette. She should be appearing any minute. But there was no sign. He swiveled, scanning the opposite banks. She was supposed to come out five minutes ago. But there was no way she was dead, he had ensured she wouldn't die...what was going on? From his spot on the ferry, he had an excellent view. He was past Adrien now, the ferry moving quicker than his son. He still scanned the banks, looking for any sign of Ladybug. 

The brush was growing wilder and wilder, the city fading out of sight. If she was dead, he was done. His eyes continued to skip around, over the muddy banks. But the only life he saw was the green and grey shrubs that littered the shore. He spun around again, and there! She was there! 

He strode up to the captain and leaned forward to speak into his ear, at the same time pressing several thousand Chinese Yuan into his hand. 

The ferry dug into the ground only several yards away from Marinette. He was around a bend in the river, Adrien would not see him. He bent down to Marinette. Her hair was full of broken leaves and twigs, she was soaking wet, and she was unconscious. He placed a finger beneath her nose. He felt the slight exhale of air. She was alive. Relief washed through him. Her skin was slightly blue, she had been in the water for too long. But that was of no consequence. All he needed was her Miraculous. He grabbed her arm and yanked her up, half carrying, half dragging her back to the ferry. 

The passengers were horror-struck, all of them staring wide-eyed at the apparently dead girl. But Gabriel paid them no mind. He pushed the ferry off, and then climbed aboard, the cuffs of his suit pants drenched. As the ferry continued downstream Gabriel turned to look back. His son was still searching desperately for Marinette. He had not seen Gabriel. 

Mr. Agrest snapped at one of the men to give him his coat. The man obliged, and Gabriel threw it over Marinette. 

Ten minutes later, a slender hand pulled the coat slightly down. Marinette blinked, her eyes widening. She took in the people, no one looking at her, except a man to her right. He was sitting stock still, his face stony. 

"You could have died," Gabriel spoke quietly but there was venom in his voice.

"I-I...Mr. Agrest?" 

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng." He nodded at her. 

"But...what happened?"  
"You almost drowned, had it not been for my son's stupid antics, you would have." 

Marinette didn't say anything and hugged the coat closer to herself. 

"It doesn't matter." Gabriel said dismissively, "As long as I get my Miraculous. Isn't that right, Ladybug?" 

Marinette looked over at him, still shivering, curled into a small ball, trying to keep warm. The coat was nearly obscuring her. Her lips still blue she whispered, "Yes, Hawkmoth."


	27. Revenge

Adrien was laying on the ground. It was pitch black all around him. Had he not been numb he would have been cold. But the only external pressures he was aware of was the cold metal pole he was drumming his fingers against. One beat, two-beats, three beats. The song was in his head, the first song, the only song he and Marinette had ever danced to. Je m’en vais.

It had been a good day, some fundraiser planned by his father and Nathalie. He had spent most of it hanging with Nino who had been invited to keep Adrien company. 

_"Why is everyone so dressed up?" Nino asked, looking bemusedly at the great hall, the chandelier reflecting soft orange light from the high windows, which bounced to the glittering jewels and bangles on everyone's clothes, the thousands of pinpricks of light almost blinding._

_"Because it's a fashion fundraiser"_

_Nino snorted. They were in the corner of the room, watching the guests mingle, pick small bites from trays, dab their different shades of lipstick politely._

_"I hope I get to leave soon, Father just wants me here for looks."_

_"Maybe when he realizes you're just standing over here with me, disgracing his name by hanging out with the lower class he'll let you go."_

_Adrien snorted, "If anyone asks he'll just say you're modeling our new fashion line."_

_Nino looked down at his worn-out sneakers and said, "oh yeah that's likely"_

_So they stood in the corner snickering and watching the guests chat._

_Music started, "Dude, they're going to make you dance." Nino turned away from the hall so they couldn't see him cracking up._

_Sure enough, the whine of a microphone cut over everyone's conversations, "The dancing will be lead by Mr. Adrien Agrest," Nathalie said, holding the mike in one hand clapped with the other against her wrist. Everyone followed suit and turned expectantly to Adrien who grinned at Nino before straightening his cuffs and stepping out onto the dance floor._

_Though he would never admit it, when Chloe came half running, half marching up to him in her too-high high heels, determined to be the first to dance with him, Adrien's happy mood dropped a fraction. But then a hand clapped him on the back and Nino reached past Adrien, his hand outstretched for Chloe's. With all eyes on her, Chloe accepted Nino's hand gracefully enough, though her face was sour. Nino threw a discreet wink to Adrien, and Adrien kept walking._

_And then he saw her. She was holding two trays of champagne and looked a little anxious as an old man hovered over the tray, undecided on which glass he wanted. Adrien walked up behind her and waited for the old man to select his drink. When he finally did, Adrien tapped Marinette on the shoulder, grinning. This way he wouldn't have to dance with someone twice his age, some shark after his father. Plus, Marinette was one of his friends._

_She squeaked when she saw who had tapped her on the shoulder. Adrien bowed low, still grinning, and asked, "May I have this dance?" Marinette only looked shocked for a second before she blushed, "Sure." She seemed embarrassed but was smiling. She curtsied awkwardly, the trays tipping precariously._

_Adrien straightened and took one from her and they set them on a nearby table. Then Adrien took her slender hand in his large one and led her to the dance floor. There was some whispering, mainly among the girls close his age who were disappointed he had chosen a girl in a waitress uniform instead of one of them, decked out in their most glamorous outfits. But, as everyone wanted to make a good impression, the mutterings did not last. Attention was drawn away from Adrien and Marinette as people shuffled around, trying to find a dance partner._

_They weren't standing close. Adrien's hand was around Marinette's waist, their hands intertwined, but Marinette was standing at least a foot away from him. Adrien smiled at her, "Thanks Marinette, I wasn't sure who else I could dance with."_

_Marinette smiled back, "Of course Adrien! But I am going to have to get back to the trays at some point."_

_"One song first?" He asked._

_Marinette giggled, her breath hitching, "sure."_

_The two-step was lively enough, but both Adrien and Marinette blushed when the music changed. It was a song Adrien didn't know, but Marinette's eyes lit up when it came on._

_"Je m’en vais!" She said._

_"it's a slow song." Adrien pointed out, unnecessarily. Marinette, bolder than usual, stepped closer. The minute she pressed against him he quite forgot how silly he felt, having to lead the dancing. Marinette's head rested against his shoulder and Adrien stood frozen for second before he relaxed. The hundreds of tiny lights were stunning him, so he closed his eyes._

_It really was a good song. Instinctively he felt his hand fit more firmly in hers. His arm tightened around her waist, bringing her closer. His head bowed against hers. He had taken dance classes since he was three, but he wasn't sure if Marinette knew how to dance. So they swayed. It brought up a warm feeling in Adrien's chest. Marinette spoke against his shoulder, "You're not too bad" Adrien smiled._

_He wasn't sure how long they danced, but it felt like it was only the two of them in the hall. It could have been only a few minutes, or maybe a few years, he never wanted to stop. The music built, surrounding them, "Marinette, Do you want to spin?"_

_"Yes." As the music broke over them Marinette twirled out until she was caught by their entwined hands. When he pulled her back in she laughed, her eyes glinting._

_Getting more comfortable, they moved swifter, getting more of a feel for it. Adrien spun Marinette and then she spun him, they came back together, both laughing. Their foreheads knocked together and they both almost doubled over with silent hysterics._

_Adrien recovered first and pulled her back to him. When they had both stopped giggling he caught about her waist and let her drop back into a bend, his hands holding hers above her head. She held the arch for a moment before coming back up, their eyes connected. The nervous laughing was over, both of them grew more serious, more intimate. They spun in a circle, Marinette's arms around his neck, gazing into his eyes, her feet barely brushing the ground, his hands at her waist._

_For several blissful minutes, they were the centers of each other's worlds._

_For several blissful minutes, he held her close._

_When the song ended they stayed connected, just for a moment before they broke apart. Marinette's cheeks were bright red._

_"Thanks for dancing with me, Marinette."_

_"Thanks for asking me to dance"_

_Adrien wasn't sure what to say. When the song had ended he had realized just who they were, where they were. It was Marinette, one of his closest and first friends he had been dancing with. But when he looked down at the sparkle in her eyes it was hard to think of her as only that._

_He cleared his throat, bringing both of them back to the present. he smiled sillily at her and said, "Well, I'll see you at school"_

_"Bye, Adrien. She waved awkwardly and laughed. Then turned back to the table to grab the trays. Slightly flustered she bumped into someone. Adrien turned away as she was apologizing profusely._

_When Adrien rejoined Nino, Nino was grinning._

_"Sooo...How was your dance?" He asked with a mischievous smile. Adrien said nothing, but his eyes sought Marinette in the crowd. Nino's smirk said he knew exactly what was going on in Adrien's mind. Adrien turned to him and asked matter-of-factly, "No, how was your dance with Chloe? Do you two think you're going to be announcing anything soon?"_

_Nino covered his face with his hands and half groaned half laughed. While Nino was distracted Adrien caught a glimpse of Marinette, her cheeks were more or less back to normal, she was grinning bigger more than usual, while she chatted with an old woman. But, he thought. It would never happen. So he pushed the thought from his head as best he could._

Adrien was tapping the bar with his fingers, the hollow tune of _Je M’en Vais_ rang through the dark. And he hadn't saved her. Had he been just one minute earlier he could have caught her, could have stopped her from jumping. If only he had taken a bigger breath before he landed he could have held onto her. He could have talked to her after that dance, figured out his feelings instead of pushing them away. He hit the bar harder, using his palm, the tune was lost. The echos overlapped. Or he could have stopped her from running away. He should have asked her what was wrong. If only he had noticed her pain.

He grabbed the bar and hoisted it up, pulling himself up along with it. He swung it, hard. It crashed against brick with a satisfying thunk. He heard the sound of pebbles and dust fall to the earth. He swung again, another clean hit. 

The next time, he missed and lost his balance. He crashed back down to the ground, the pole landed with a clank somewhere far off. Adrien threaded his fingers through his hair, hunched over. his cheeks were red and blotchy, tears clung to his eyelashes. The cold was biting at him now, but he ignored it. He dug his elbows into the ground and clasped his hands around his head, a low ragged cry escaped him. He had been so close. He could have saved her. 

His back was littered with bruises, a mix of black, blue, and purple marks where he had hit the water. His whole body hurt, he could barely breathe, he thought his ribs must be bruised. 

He closed his eyes. Focused on breathing in and out. He was in an abandoned building. The first place he had found where he could collapse unseen. It was night when he had woken up, Tikki and Plagg were nowhere to be found. But Adrien knew he couldn't just wait for them to return, wherever they had gone they might not be back for hours. He had been awake for an hour already, but only now was he finding the strength to leave the dark. To find Marinette's kidnappers. 

The task seemed daunting. They had been able to break Marinette, the brightest and most positive person Adrien had ever known. Who's to say they wouldn't take him down too? But, Adrien told himself, they wouldn't take him down. He would never stop until he got revenge and justice for Marinette. It mattered too much. And he was Chat Noir. With or without the suit. 

So Adrien pulled himself up again, teeth gritted against the pain, and found his way to the window. He ripped the boards away from the frame. Moonlight streamed in, and Adrien turned, picked up the pipe, and left the room. He didn't allow another tear to fall. There would be time for that after he found justice for her. 

* * *

Adrien knew he had to find clothes. The second he stepped outside the bite of the air broke across his back. The main part of the town was far and the shops here were closed. So Adrien walked. He had some soggy money in his back pocket, he didn't know if it would be accepted. He walked uphill, past dark shops and allys, everything was quiet. he pulled his money out, counting it. He didn't have enough, that was for sure. Putting it away, he stopped. There was a low growling sound. He turned his head, his finetuned ears listening. He heard it again. He continued walking, eyes skirting the streets. 

And then he saw the source of the noise. A large dog stepped into his path. Adrien stopped, his eyes narrowing. The dog had the face of a pug but it had pointy ears. It looked positively alien, its mouth bared in a snarl. The dog was attached to a thick metal chain but was pulling on it aggressively, and at the other end of the chain was a man. 

He couldn't be much older than Adrien. He had a small ratty mustache, his hair was dark, and his eyes were crinkled in amusement. 

"Nice dog," Adrien said, his voice soft and coaxing, to the animal who looked like he was about to break his collar trying to reach Adrien. 

Adrien felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, dogs were not his favorite thing. And it seemed this dog could sense Adrien was more cat-like than other humans. 

"Who took your clothes man?" The man chuckled, surveying Adrien who had neither shirt nor shoes. 

"Don't mess with me," Adrien said darkly, one hand out to keep himself at a distance from the dog. He was not in the mood for a fight. Well, not a fight with this particular person. And he knew his rage at the kidnappers could break easily. He didn't want to hurt this kid. 

"Nah. I've got to. you're too easy of a target." The smile dropped, a knife was drawn, "so give me your money. And you don't have to meet my dog."

Adrien was still holding the pipe. he spun it several times like he would his baton. "Do you want to try me?" 

The kid shifted from foot to foot, pretending to think, then he looked back at Adrien and said, "yeah." And he let go of his dog's chain. 

Adrien dashed behind a pole, the dog charged him like a bullet. The dog raced around the pole to get a better aim at biting him, but Adrien circled back around, making the dog chase him in tight circles. The guy was laughing, but Adrien was too focused on not getting ripped limb from limb to care. They had gone around the pole three times when Adrien finally managed to step on the dog's collar. The animal fell from the force of its own velocity and Adrien looped the leash around itself several times while the dog scrabbled to get back to its feet. Adrien leaped out of the way just before the animal snapped at him. 

With the dog effectively tied to the pole, the man advanced, holding his knife aloft. 

"What did you just do to my dog?" he asked his grip tightened on the knife, his eyes darkened. He took a swipe at Adrien. Adrien swore and swung the pipe. The knife came at him again, but this time Adrien was ready, he caught onto the wrist and caught a glimpse of the panic on the man's face before he spun and threw him over his back, down to the cement. The knife clattered to the ground as did the pipe. 

Adrien doubled over, eyes clenched shut as pain tore through his ribs. He gasped and held his breath. For a moment all he could see was white as the pain tore through his body from the roots of his teeth, along his spine and around his heart. He fell against a wall and slid down it. He held the breath 'til the pain dulled and then clambered back to his feet, panting. 

The dog was barking, its eyes bulging out of its head, spit flying as it tried desperately to attack Adrien. But Adrien ignored it. The kid was unconscious, but Adrien knew he'd be okay. He'd done this maneuver numerous times before. All the buildings were still dark. Either no one wanted to get involved or no one had heard. 

With much difficulty, Adrien tugged the man's heavy hoody off and pulled it over his own head. Next were the boots. He felt like kicking him but refrained. Instead, he pulled out what little money he had left and tossed it down next to him. Reimbursement for the clothes. The guy would wake up in five minutes with a terrible headache. 

He caught up the pipe, twirled it, and stuck it into the hoodie pocket. Then, making sure nobody was around, he caught onto a fire escape and climbed up the side of a building. He needed to find his father.

_As always please comment :) <3 <3_


	28. Lihua huang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and plagg chapter

"He looks dead"

These were the first words Tikki heard. She had helped Plagg get Adrien to a quiet spot where he could rest, but it was just her body working in her absence. Her mind was somewhere far away, somewhere dark. 

Her Marinette; Her ladybug; Her purpose in life, was drifting at the bottom of the river. Tikki was privately glad she did not have the power of Cataclysm, for if she had she might have brought it down upon the earth to make the world hurt as badly as she.

Tikki was shivering with anguish. Marinette was gone. And she hadn't been lost in the throes of battle as Tikki's previous Ladybugs had been. She had taken her own life. A life so beautiful and good. The knowledge of what she had done was almost as painful as the fact she was gone. That someone so sparkling could be so tarnished by the world stole Tikki's belief in good. 

Marinette Dupain-Cheng--the daughter of a baker, best friend to a journalist, protector of Paris, the crush of Adrien Agrest, and light so obvious, so impactful she might as well have shone from the tip of the Eiffel Tower--was dead. Ladybug was gone. 

When Plagg pulled Tikki back to the present it was not a relief. Instead, she had to face the problem of an unconscious Adrien Agreste. 

"He's not dead." Tikki mused, watching Adrien closely. "His eyes are fluttering." 

Plagg had detransformed the moment Adrien had collapsed and was now resting on Adrien's cheek, lifting his eyelid. 

"Kid. Kid, wake up!" Plagg whisper shouted into Adrien's face. Adrien didn't move. Plagg sighed and turned around only to come face to face with a tear stung Tikki. 

"Hey...Hey, Cupcake. It's going to be alright." 

Tikki looked at Plagg with her large blue eyes and said nothing. She only shivered. 

"Tikki...Are you okay?" 

Tikki shook her large head and Plagg was next to her in a second, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, embracing her in a tight hug. 

"Plagg...What do I do?" Tikki's voice was quaking, her eyes closed and tears cascaded down her pink face, landing on Plagg's shoulder. 

"Just focus on me. I'll be here. I'll stay with you. It will be ok." 

Tikki hiccuped, her chest heaving with suppressed sobs.

"You...You'll stay with me?" Tikki asked, her eyes brimming. 

"Of course Cupcake. What do you need? We...We can go look for her" 

But Tikki jumped backward. Plagg looked alarmed as he stared into her tear-stained face. But there wasn't sadness there. 

"Cupca-" But Plagg was cut off, 

"Plagg! You'll stay with me!" Tikki sniffed, breathing heavily.

Plagg stared at her, completely bemused, but hope was rising in his chest at the look on her face, 

"...Yes..." He said, watching her. 

"Plagg. I'm still here." And with that she barrel-rolled him, sending them both flying through the air as she laughed, "I'm still here, I'm still here" She chanted. 

And Plagg understood. If Marinette had died, Tikki would have been sucked back into the earrings. But Tikki was still with Plagg. She was still here. 

"But...But how do we find her?" Plagg asked, almost choked from excitement.

They had come to a stop, Tikki pulled away. 

"We can't follow the earrings anymore, I don't know what's wrong, but it seems the signal to them has been fading, I can't quite tell where they are." 

"But she's ok?" Plagg asked, and Tikki nodded, 

"Plagg she's alive. She must be. How else can I be here?" 

"Tikki...I think I know how we can find her." Tikki stared at him confusedly. 

"Tell me."

Tikki and Plagg sped through the darkened streets of Lhasa, if anyone looked out their window at this late hour they might mistake Tikki and Plagg for birds. They paid no mind to being cautious, they couldn't waste time. If Marinette was alive they needed to get to her, quickly.

Plagg pulled them down allies and through cracks in walls. Through backdoors and sleeping households. Tikki knew there was a map in his head of where they were going, so she did not question their incursion into houses quiet with sleep. 

They wove through air ducts, up and out chimneys, across streets, past storefronts, until-quite suddenly-Plagg pulled them to a stop. 

"We're here." He whispered. 

Tikki had never seen inside the narrow, darkly lit whitewashed building before, yet when they squeezed through the letterbox she found she recognized the place quite well. 

Plagg pulled them down the hall, casting dark shadows. They paused when they reached a door that was ajar. Inside they could hear mutterings, the light of a fire licked the shadows on the walls.

Plagg entered the room. Tikki followed. Inside was a woman, barely five feet tall. She had white hair streaked with grey. It was pulled back into a hasty bun, her eyes were tea green and wide. Her forehead was lined profusely like that of a person with too much on their mind for many years. She was hurrying about the room, gathering items into her arms and tossing them into suitcases. Her eyes jumped back and forth from her work to the windows, as though she was afraid something might enter. 

Plagg, glancing back at Tikki, cleared his throat. The woman jumped. 

"Hi...Lihua."

* * *

Two chipped mugs of lukewarm tea were placed in front of Tikki and Plagg. Ms. Lihua Huang, in her haste, hadn't let the kettle boil before pouring the water. Tikki and Plagg, who could neither lift the cups nor drink tea, thanked her. 

Lihua lifted a stack of papers off a threadbare high backed flowery chair and dumped them on the table next to her. Sitting down she leaned back and took a breath, as though forcing herself to sit still. She fumbled with a spare piece of paper, her hands finding an outlet for her anxiety. She folded it and unfolded it.

Tikki knew she had recognized the place, the items adorning it were ones she knew quite well, the ancient greek texts and waxy scrolls, odd instruments along with a slightly rusty gong, all belonged to her old instructor Lihua Huang. She had worked with Tikki and Master Fu long ago in the Tibetan Mountains. 

"Why are you packing, Lihua?" Tikki asked, surveying the cramped room and the suitcases filled with odd items. 

"One of my contacts has been captured. My identity may be at risk of being discovered." Lihua said, speaking calmly, but her eyes gave her away by again darting to the window. Fold, unfold.

Tikki and Plagg made sounds of fear, but Lihua waved away their concern, "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Hawkmoth has gotten too powerful since he's been receiving help from Pilolla." She sighed, brushing a stray hair from her face, "But why are you two here? Where are your wards?" 

Plagg glanced at Tikki before beginning to speak. 

He told her everything: Marinette running away, Tikki going to Adrien for help, Marinette being kidnapped, Adrien suspecting his father, the note which had been sent to Marinette's parents, telling them she was dead, the stories they had heard of the mysterious Pilolla, Adrien being attacked by a masked man who accidentally revealed he no longer had Marinette, Following Ladybug to Lhasa, and finally her jumping from a bridge, only to be followed by Adrien. 

When Plagg reached the end Lihua Huang's mouth was slightly open. 

"She's dead?" She asked in shock. Tikki flinched at the words, but replied, "We don't think so. If she is, why am I still here." 

At this, Lihua Huang slid from her chair to her knees. She crossed her hands against the table Tikki and Plagg were perched on, crumpling the blank aged paper in her hands, and leaned forward.

"If she is alive we have hope." 

"Hope against what? Who is Pilolla? What is coming?" 

Lihua leaned back on her knees, her eyes were wide, her lips slightly open. She seemed frozen for a moment in fear, even the fire seemed to stop crackling in the grate. Tikki and Plagg watched her as she trembled, waiting for her reply.

She breathed out, "The darkness" 

Neither Tikki nor Plagg knew what to say, so they sat in silence. Lihua subconsciously uncrinkled the paper so she could continue fiddling with it. 

She swallowed and said, "You two knew to come to me because we used to work together with Wang Fu. But I'm afraid I can be of no help. Hawkmoth will find me soon enough, and then he will kill me or worse...I cannot help you find Ladybug...But know that you must. Without her, we are as good as finished." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Right now I am going to tell you something...and you must listen closely. Remember what I say, for I might be gone tomorrow" 

So Tikki and Plagg leaned in, watching her unravel in fright. She folded and unfolded the paper. Her lips shivered as she spoke, the room was quiet except for her ragged, whispered words, and the crackling of the fire.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Tikki and Plagg scoured a dilapidated old room for Adrien. The boards had been ripped off the windows, leaving a trail of moonlight across the dirty cement floor.

Tikki and Plagg needed to find Adrien, needed to tell him, to warn him. But he had left with no trace.

Even as Tikki turned her frightened eyes to Plagg in desperation, a window smashed miles away.

Lihua Huang had been on her way out, the fire doused in tea, the cups hastily stowed in a purse. The lights were off, the bags closed and slung over her shoulders.

She had felt slightly more hopeful knowing someone else knew what she did, but it was a short-lived victory.


	29. Marinette

It was a bleak morning. The sky was grey: absence mixed with pure color. Marinette stared out the hotel window from her bed.

Her first thought when she woke up was of Adrien. She wondered vaguely if he was alright. Why he had been in Lhasa or how he had found her were questions that did not cross her mind. Thoughts came and went, nothing sticking.

_She had drowned or almost drowned. When Hawkmoth had found her she had seen him coming, as though from above. She had seen Adrien looking for her, Gabriel Agreste watching from the ferry. She had wondered lightly if they would find her._

_She had been almost indifferent, detached. She had looked down to her body, her face pale and her eyes closed, her limbs splayed like a doll's who had been cast aside; and felt an emotion, not unlike pity._

_Everything had been darkening around the edges, and she felt like she was being pulled away. But vaguely she heard a voice. A voice she had heard say her name many times before, but never like this. It was a strangled cry, like waves against rocks it crashed into her, rough and hopeless. "Marinette"_

_She looked down, Adrien was screaming her name, searching for her. "Look up." She thought, but she knew he wouldn't be able to see her. She wasn't even sure if she was really there. But she couldn't let him down._

_A sharp pain stabbed at her forehead, which she suddenly possessed again. Her eyes opened, it was dark, her back was against soft ground, her legs were numb and pretzeled beneath her. Someone had a hold of her arms and was pulling her up._

_She could hear mutterings in a language she did not know, or perhaps she just couldn't understand. 'How did I get down here?' she wondered. But already she was being pulled to the darkness, and her eyes shut._

Marinette stared out the window, unmoving. Her body ached, so she lay still. She could see the Eiffel Tower. It was a sight she hadn't seen for many weeks. A tear dropped down the side of her face and disappeared in her dark hair.

Chat Noir was standing beside her. Marinette looked up into his face. She had expected him to look worried or afraid, but instead, he smiled down at her with his usual casual grin.

"Hello, My Lady." Marinette simply looked at him.

When he closed his hand around hers she smiled.

"Chat," she whispered.

"Mari, I've missed you."

"You're okay. I was afraid you drowned."

Chat's smile faltered, "I needed to save you."

Marinette smiled tiredly. Chat squeezed her hand and drew back.

"No. Wait! Don't go!"

But again Chat only smiled.

The room was empty. Outside her window was nothing but birds flying across the grey iron sky; No stark tower disrupted the horizon. Marinette felt the pull towards unconsciousness. She allowed it. 

* * *

When she woke again, Sunlight streamed into her window. She pulled herself up into a sitting position and looked around. The room was light yellow. There was an old rickety heater in the corner and white curtains were blowing slightly with the warm afternoon breeze. Looking down Marinette realized her arms were heavily bandaged. The grubby wraps she had had around her hands were gone, replaced with fresh ones. 

Fear hit her heart like an arrow. She sat frozen for a second, trying desperately to remember why she was there. She had almost drowned. She had been below water, couldn't find the surface. 

Marinette pressed her hands to her eyes and tried to remember. She had found the bank, drug herself up spitting water. But why had she been in the river? 

And then she remembered. She had jumped. 

She tore the blankets off and leaped out of the bed. She was wearing black sweat pants, her chest was wrapped. Her collar bone was bandaged, the white was stained with blood. 

Confusion instigated fear and she tiptoed barefoot to the door. Before she could reach it, it opened. A girl walked in. Marinette jumped back with an 'eep'

The girl, who must have been only a few years older than Marinette, said nothing. 

She was carrying a folding chair. She opened it, placing it before the bed, and then turned to Marinette. 

She had pale brown eyes and braided black hair. She was slight, but almost a foot taller than Marinette.

"Where am I?" Marinette asked, trying to appear strong despite the fact she was shaking. 

Again the girl said nothing. Instead, she crossed to Marinette, who did not back away, and delicately took her hand. Without a word, she lead Mari back to the bed. Marinette sat down on the covers, still staring at the girl. Her heart was hammering, and she couldn't help but feel that the chair was not good news. 

The girl lifted Marinette's legs to the bed, and Marinette slid back under the covers. Somehow the girl seemed to float, her unhurried actions were soothing, and Marinette found herself quite compliant. 

The door opened again and she looked around. Standing in the doorway was Gabriel Agreste. He straightened his suit and stepped inside. He pulled the chair behind him, scraping the wood floor, and sat down. 

"M-Mr. Agreste." Marinette said breathlessly. 

He gave her a sideways smile. 

"You can call me Hawkmoth." 

"W-where's Adrien?" Marinette asked, her mouth dry, staring at the man who she had vowed to destroy. 

"Oh, I assure you Adrien is fine." Gabriel smiled, "You, however, almost died." 

"I-I jumped from that bridge." Marinette pressed her palm to her forehead, doubling over, trying to put the last twelve hours in order. 

"yes." Said Gabriel, and he sounded displeased. 

"Yet you failed to mention-" and there was an angry bite in his voice, "That you didn't have your Qwami with you." 

Marinette looked up. 

"You see, when I told you to jump, I also told you to save yourself by transforming, something you did not tell me you couldn't do." Gabriel was talking briskly, staring Marinette down with his scathing blue eyes. 

"So imagine my surprise when you almost died. If it weren't for my son you would have, and then I would have not only no Ladybug but also no miraculous."

Marinette stared at him, "When you told me to jump I had no choice. Don't blame me for your mistakes, Hawkmoth." she spit the last word at him. 

"Number Three," Gabriel turned his attention sharply to the girl standing next to Marinette's bed. Her eyes were trained on the floor and her hands were folded politely in front of her. When addressed her eyes snapped up. 

"Tell Ladybug exactly why she shouldn't talk back to me."

She turned primly to Marinette and said calmly, "He will kill your whole family and all your friends." 

Marinette stared at the girl, her eyebrows knitted together. 

Turning back to Hawkmoth she said, "What's wrong with her?" 

"Everyone reacts to the process in different ways. She seems to have cut herself off from her actions. I expect she's living in a dream world."   
A shiver passed through Marinette. 

"That's sick." 

"Some react violently. Number 1 is the muscle. You met him before," Gabriel smirked, "I'm sure you've experienced his anger." 

"The man who attacked me in the street," Marinette stated, eyes trained on Hawkmoth. 

"Precisely." 

Marinette's eyes snapped up to the girl standing beside her. On her black turtleneck was embroidered a small purple butterfly. 

"So you've been building an army?"  
"Of sorts." 

"What's the point?" 

"Oh, I don't think that's something you need to know." 

"Why her? What did she do to you?" 

Gabriel smiled in surprise, "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

Marinette didn't answer. Hawkmoth waited. 

"Is that what you plan to do to me?" Marinette asked, and she couldn't stop the waver in her voice now. 

Gabriel tutted, "Don't you realize I already have? Who made you jump off that bridge?" 

Marinette froze. 

"Stand up." He said suddenly. And as though being lifted like a puppet, Marinette stood, blankets falling off her lap as she pushed herself up off the bed. 

"Aaannd sit back down." She sat, her eyes widening in horror. 

"You're a monster."   
"Perhaps. You've been a hard one to catch, forgive me if I don't apologize." 

"Why-Why would you make me do that?" Marinette asked, her hands balling into fists. 

"If you didn't want me to die, why would you come up to me under that tree and tell me to jump off a bridge?" Marinette asked, tears welling in her eyes now. 

"When you saw my son." Gabriel corrected, "You jumped off that bridge so he would believe you to be dead."  
Marinette glared at him, tears dropping from her eyes. 

"Why would you hurt your son like that?" She asked, her voice thick with emotion. 

"Adrien thinks you're dead. And now so will your family. I must admit when Number 1 failed to capture you I had to come up with a different plan. I told your family you were dead with a note, but then my idiot son found out you were not in fact dead and hastened to inform your family. They then called me and told me both you and Adrien were, 'safe'." Gabriel sneered. "I had to come up with a more convincing death."

"T-they're not stupid. They'll find out!" Marinette said.

"How will they?" he queried. Marinette said nothing. 

"In time they will all move on with their lives. All the loose ends are tied up, and I am one step closer to getting back my wife." 

Marinette recoiled in shock. 

"You want the Miraculous so you can get Adrien's mom back?" 

Gabriel smiled coldly, "Yes." 

"You've been terrorizing Paris for years for her! You piece of-" 

But Gabriel cut her off, with a "Shhh", his finger to his lips. 

Marinette immediately fell silent, as though struck dumb. 

"Sometimes you might snap out of my control, but it won't last." Gabriel sighed, "Don't leave this room. You're of little use to me until I find your Quami. Until then, get some rest." 

He stood and stalked out of the room. 

Number Three smiled glassily at Marinette, as though not really seeing her, and swept from the room. 

Marinette would have screamed at Gabriel, she would have broken everything in the sparse room, would have leapt out the window to find Adrien, but already his last words were registering. 

Her last thoughts before her head hit the pillow were of Chat. Only he could help her now.

_I'm really interested to know what you think!_


	30. Please Understand

Adrien had been awake all night. It was daybreak now, and the crystalized air had warmed to a chill. Adrien had called every hotel in Lhasa searching for Gabriel Agrest. Many of the hotels wouldn't disclose their guest's information, and others tried to help but were unsuccessful.

He slapped the receiver for the umpteenth time to disconnect the line, his frustration getting the better of him. He was standing in a cobwebby phone booth, the kind he had assumed had been eradicated long ago.

Marinette had been torn off the street by a man in a mask. Adrien had fought this man. In a moment of weakness, the man had revealed Hawkmoth was indeed working with someone named Piolla. This Pilolla person and Hawkmoth had evidently wanted Marinette kidnapped. Adrien couldn't think why.

But if Gabriel was tied to Hawkmoth and Hawkmoth to Piolla, then Adrien needed to find his father if he wanted to confront the men who had ordered Marinette's capture. _They_ were to blame for her death. Whatever they had done to her must have been what pushed her to the edge.

He would avenge her. 

The phone was crooked between his shoulder and ear as he waited for the line to connect.

A woman answered. Adrien asked her politely in broken Tibetan for a French speaker. There was a shuffle to fulfill his request. His legs felt like jelly, his head was splitting, he was sure he had fractured at least one rib, but he could not rest.

"Hello, do you have anyone under the name of Gabriel Agreste?"

The man answered in the negative.

Adrien had expected it, but it didn't make it any less hard to hear. He asked about a few of the aliases his father used when looking not to be disturbed by fans or press, but none of them yielded any results.

Adrien hung up and fell back against the glass door. He closed his eyes and ran his hands across his face. Immediately Marinette appeared in his mind's eye.

Marinette, leaning over the water, her eyes glassy. She had climbed over the railings. She had looked over her shoulder just as she let go. Her eyes had been widened with surprise. She had reached out for him as she fell and he had caught onto her. It hadn't been enough to save her. 

He wondered where she was now. Maybe washed onto the shore, or else...still in the water. 

Immediately Adrien tore his hands away from his face and forced his eyes wide open. He couldn't think about that now. He couldn't dwell on her.

But he didn't know what to do next. He had forced himself into action and yet he couldn't find any action to partake in.

He had tried everything to find his father, had even tried searching for the car he knew Gabriel would be driving. But finding his father in this city was proving more difficult than Adrien had thought it would be. Wasn't Gabriel looking for him? Wouldn't he have left some instruction in the news for Adrien to find him?   
But no. And the lack of a trace was ominous. Again Adrien allowed his eyes to shut, hoping for a plan to occur to him.

Instead, Marinette's pointed, lachrymose face was once more before him. Adrien wanted to reach for her; he wanted to hold her, to tell her he was there for her. She was not alone.

She reached for him again and again. Over and over he caught her and pulled her close. But over and over she was pulled away from him. 

Adrien's eyes opened. At some point he must have slid down the wall. He was crumpled in the corner of the phone box.

He thought breifly about standing up, but the prospect seemed too daunting. Instead he sunk a few more inches down, his knees hitting the other side of the box. 

He stared into space, not seeing. His lips were numb and his hands shook like a drunk's. Everything was blackening around the edges. His breath came quicker, trying to sate his palpitating heart.

He could have lay there forever, lost in his own head. But he knew had to get up. The phone seemed so far away from down here. If he continued to think about getting up he never would. 

He sniffed loudly and wiped his face with his hoodie sleeves. He remembered several weeks ago thinking he would not be able to handle another disappearance like that of his mother. But Marinette was not missing, not anymore. Somehow this was so much worse.

When Adrien stood it felt like his heart hadn't come up with him. He leaned against the wall. His energy was drained.

Adrien picked the phone up. He crooked it in his shoulder again. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

He was about to press a number from a yellowed phone book into the rusty metal buttons when he accidentally dropped the phone. He pulled it up by the cord and momentarily thought of his cellphone, wishing he still had it. 

A sudden thought occurred to him. Thinking of his cell-phone had reminded him of another, familiar, device. One he had never seen out of the presence of his father's assistant, Nathalie.

Nathalie! She had presumably been captured by the thugs who had stopped their car. But if he could find her...If he could find her she could lead him back to his father. 

Adrien yanked the phone back up to his ear and dialed Nino's phone number.

The phone rang out. Adrien dialed again. This time someone answered. 

"Hello?" The voice was groggy. Adrien quickly realized it must only be one A.M. in Paris. 

"Bro," Adrien cleared his throat, "it's me" He braced himself for the shouting. Immediately he heard a crash from the other end, 

"What the-Dude! Where are you?" It sounded as though Nino had knocked over his nightstand. 

"I'm in Tibet, in Lhasa."

"Why the hell are you in Tibet? Are you good?"

Ignoring his question, Adrien said, "Nino, listen, I need you to call Alya for me," 

"She's at mine right now." Adrien heard the padding of feet and a door squeak closed. Nino was probably going somewhere quiet to talk.

"Why do you need to talk to her?" Nino asked confusedly, the sleep was not yet gone from his voice. 

" I need to find Nathalie, and I think Alya can help me." 

"Do-do you want me to wake her up?" Nino asked, "She's had a rough night, she just fell asleep." 

Adrien rubbed his eyes, "I'm sorry, Nino, could you? This is really important." 

"I can, but be cautious, anything can set her off. We were hopeful after we found out Marinette was alive, but Alya still doesn't think she's safe." 

While Nino went to wake Alya, Adrien wiped his face again, trying to breathe steadily. 

Alya was on the line a minute later. 

"Adrien?" 

"Alya!" 

"Adrien, did-did you find Marinette?" Her voice sounded raw. 

The question hit Adrien like a cement truck. 

"I-no...Not yet." He couldn't tell Alya, at least not now. He needed her help. 

An unhappy exhale came from the end of the line. "What do you need?" 

"I need you to track down Nathalie. Alya, it's important." 

"Adrien," An exasperated sigh, "I'm no hacker, I can't do that."

"Alya." Adrien's voice held a plea she hadn't heard before. 

"Please." 

There was silence. 

"I mean I could track her phone's last known location from her scheduling app if it's connected to Wifi. Or if I could get her IP address I could get her exact location, but that's if her phone is even with her..."  
"Alya, whatever you can do."

"Sure, Adrien. Give me a couple of minutes, I don't even know If I'll be able to do this."

Adrien drummed his fingers on the phone, waiting. 

* * *

"Okay Adrien. It looks like she's somewhere in a place called," Adrien could picture her squinting at her computer screen, "Lhasa. It's in Tibet." 

A mixture of fear and exhilaration shot through Adrien, "Is-is there an exact location?" 

Alya gave him an adress. Adrien was almost stunned she had been able to do it.

"Alya" Adrien's voice cracked. 

"Adrien... Are you ok?" Alya's voice was hesitant. 

"I-I just" he leaned his head back to hold back emotion. He inhaled a deep, unsteady breath, "I just-"

He cut off again, hitting his fist against his forehead, trying to compose himself. The lump in his throat was painful. Unbidden, tears fell from his eyes. Adrien caught eyes with someone filling their gas tank outside the phone booth. Both of them turned away. 

"Alya, can I talk to Nino again?" 

"Hi, dude." Nino's voice was morose. Adrien suspected Alya had whispered to Nino that Adrien was crying. 

"Listen. I-I'm about to do something, about to--confront someone...just look out for yourself and-"

"Adrien?"

"I'm going to- just say goodbye to everyone for me...I might not see you...for a while."

"Adrien...Whatever you're about to do, don't. I-me and Alya can help you. You don't have to-"

"You already have. Just...if I don't see you again,"

"What are you planning? Think about everyone at home. Think about Marinette,"

Adrien almost laughed. He didn't get it, he didn't get it, he didn't get it, "I'm doing this for her!" He almost growled. He rubbed his forehead, trying to avoid a breakdown in a glass box. 

"I-I'm doing this for her." He was sincere now, his voice quieter. 

"Adrien! Don't be an idiot!" Alya burst into the phone, she sounded teary now too.

"Bro. Don't." Nino added in horror. 

"Goodbye guys." 

A dull tone sounded from the phone, Adrien's hand pressing down the receiver. 

He stood still for a moment. Sniffing loudly he slammed the phone back into its cradle. 

He could feel the edge looming, he was hyperventilating, how easy it would be to submit. But he grit his teeth and held his breath. After a few seconds the need to inhale until he blacked out subsided. 

He felt drained. But Alya and Nino would be fine without him. 

He kicked the door open. He had the address. It was time to find Nathalie.


	31. After you, Alice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya and Nino chapter xoxo

_I updated the last chapter. Nothing drastic._

_Please tell me what you think!_

Alya watched Nino climb into her room after her. He tripped on her rug as he swung his long leg over the window sill. He straightened, he was't wearing his headphones Alya noticed. His hat was gone too. She walked to him. 

He put his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs ran circles at the base of her neck. She reached up, running her fingers across the bristles at the base of his skull, she liked it when he didn't wear his hat. 

"Are we really going to do this?" Alya asked.

"Are we?" He mirrored. She could feel his voice vibrating in his chest. 

She took a deep breath before she answered. It dawned on her only then that the situation was real, and her reply must be as serious as the occasion required.

"Let's do it."

They parted. She turned away and bent down, reaching under her bed, pulling out her travel bag. Nino stared at it along with her.

"It doesn't feel...real" he commented, sitting down on the bed.

"I wish it wasn't."

"Als...we're going to get them. Both of them."

Alya sat down next to him, "what do you think Adrien is doing?" She asked, half exasperated, half worried, "he was acting on the phone like we'll never see him again."

"He's my best friend, you know? I know him better than he knows himself and... I think he's in love with Marinette."

Alya turned sharply to face him,"in love with?"

She closed her eyes and fell forward to rest her head on Nino's chest, laughing quietly. He fell back as well, an arm around her waist, and they lay across Alya's bed for a moment in silence.

"You know Mari is in love with Adrien?" Alya asked.

"Yeah," Nino said, "But Als, that's the problem. I think he is going to try to rescue her. And I think he thinks it will be dangerous."

Alya sat up, "you think he found her?"

"I-I don't know. When we spoke and he said he was going to meet someone, he said he was doing it for her. I think they might both be in danger, Alya."

Alya took a shakey breath. She could feel the tears welling, but hardening her resolve she said, "Let's start packing then."

They stood up, "I'll get us a cab." Nino said.

Alya nodded.

He climbed out the window and then dropped out of sight.

She straightened her back, took four deep breaths, and, mindful of her parents sleeping downstairs, began to pack.

What was that old story? It originated in England, she thought. She had read a passage of it once. It hadn't been important at the time. It had been a distraction: a tunnel from one minute to the next as she waited for the bus. 

A young girl climbs onto her wardrobe and presses her hands against her mirror, peering curiously into the world inside. She looks into her own eyes. Looks into the room before her, but not behind. She slips, by chance or kismit, and finds herself pulled through the mirror which has become like water, landing in her previous world, only different. 

Alya locked eyes with herself in her iron framed mirror. 

The young girl was named Alice. She had fallen through her lookinglass into a world of confusion. Ripe with possibility but prone to stepping stones of mis-steps. Opportunities for mistakes.

Just that morning Alya had never thought of doing what she was about to.

' _I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then'_

Alya knew who she was. She was lucky in that regard. Every morning she woke up to the same person, she was herself and good at it. 

What she was about to do was so different from herself it seemed it was what _someone_ was going to do. Not her.

All the pain Adrien and Marinette's respective disappearances had caused were obviously not enough to dissuade Alya of following their lead. 

She didn't look as tired as she felt. The mirror smiled at her. She smiled back. She knew at that moment she would have strength enough to leave. 

She slung the bag over her shoulder. Her rebellious side had taken charge. She walked to the window and Alya did too. 

Looking out at the cobbled street, the taxi patiently waiting with it's headlights shining, Nino looking up at her, his hands deep in his pockets leaning against the cab, out across the dark expanse of city lit only by lamps, Alya couldn't help but think, ' _here we go...square one.'_

She opened the window. A rush of fierce wind hit her, blowing her hair back, quickening her mind. It smelled like petrichor, the scent carried miles by the wind, redolent with earth and coffee.

She swung her bag out the window and then followed it. She climbed as low as she could and then jumped the last six feet, landed with a roll, and quickly stood up to collect her bag, intentionally not meeting the eye of the taxi driver. 

On the plane, Nino was talking. Alya was thinking of her parents. How upset they would be. She did not regret using part of her college fund to buy the tickets. She never would. 

She had considered explaining everything to them, asking for their permission to leave, but the message on the bus station plexi glass had changed her mind, _"no, no, no...the adventure first. Explinations take such a dreadful time."_

"Adrien and Marinette are strong, like weeds, they'll pull through." 

Alya looked over at Nino and smiled, "like...wildflowers." 

"Wildflowers..." he pondered, "yeah," he grinned at her. She grinned back. Nestling together they sat back and watched the earth fall away from them as though they were beckoned by the sky. 

Alya ignored the fear in her gut which twisted painfully at the thought of the consequences of leaving without telling anyone. Instead she focused on the adventure, and on finding her friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think!! Obviously credit where credit is due, the lines, 
> 
> 'I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then'
> 
> "no, no, no...the adventure first. Explinations take such a dreadful time."
> 
> and the refrence to wildflowers are all from Lewis Carroll's Alice through the looking glass. 


	32. Number 3

_24 hours before Marinette jumped off the bridge._

As Gabriel Agreste exited the motel room Aditi let out a soft exhale. Samir was crumpled in his chair, whether from shame or the trickle of blood staining his forehead it was not clear. 

It was silent for the most part, Adeti was focusing on her breathing, her nostrils flaired. 

"Let's get out of here." She said after a minute. Her voice was swift and icy. They didn't know if Gabriel Agreste would be coming back.

Samir said nothing, his eyes fixed on the ground. But he sat up a little straighter, his numb fingers feeling along the ropes, searching for the knot. 

Aditi managed to break out first. After half an hour of pointless struggling, enough was enough. 

Aditi could almost feel rage bubbling over her skin, up her spine. If she wasn't able to move soon she was sure she'd go mad. 

She grounded her feet on the floor and stood as far as the chair would allow. She didn't pay mind to being careful. She threw herself onto her side forcefully. Her cheek connected with the corner of the couch. 

The chair hadn't broken. Wriggling like she was having a seizure she contorted, working the ropes up her body until finally they found slack around her neck. 

Pulling free she felt she could breathe again. She stood, wobbling. She hopped to the coffee table, her face determined. A dark, partly smashed vase was spread across the mahogany wood as though it were placed there to be the subject an oil painting. 

It took a long time to get her hands cut free, and blood ran hurriedly from her palms to her wrists to her elbows, disappearing beneath her sleeves. 

Her feet were easier to release. While she fumbled with the pottery she saw out of the corner of her eye, Samir, trying vehemently to unbind himself as well. 

After they were both freed Samir tried to speak, "Deti," his eyes were wet.

She cut across him, "You have a...base, then?" She asked. Her royal green eyes bore into his like lazers, her jaw was set. Her hair was no longer in its neat bun, it was straggled and matted. Maybe it was the blood, darkening her already raven black hair, or maybe it was her fury held just at bay, or maybe it was that it was the right thing to do, after all he had done, but Samir knew he would give her whatever she asked. 

"Yes, we have one in Lhasa" he conceded, his eyes paring with hers, though there was a stark difference in their emotions. 

"Then we're going there." 

Her accent always became more pronounced when she was angry, but Samir didn't need context clues. He wasn't too pleased with himself either. 

The door was locked. The electronic lock had been broken.

Samir backed up until he was against the opposite wall. Aditi stood to the side, her eyebrows slightly raised. He hit the door once, twice, on the third try he burst through. Aditi stepped out, her hand momentarily rising to block the afternoon sun. The parking lot was empty, flower pots were hanging from the balcony above, bursting with bright purple petunias, still glittery from that morning's frost. 

Samir was straightening up, clutching his shoulder. His head really did look bad. Blood was matted in his hair, some of it trickling down his temple to his chin. 

"Are you alright?" Aditi asked stiffly, he nodded his assent.

They were halfway down the sidewalk when a woman opened a door, wheeling a cleaning cart. She nodded hello at the couple warmly, her face freezing as she took in their appearances.

"Sorry about the room" Aditi said, not slowing her stride. 

Aditi marched in silence for blocks before she stopped and turned to Samir. 

"We need to tell the kids we're okay." he said, not quite meeting her eyes. 

"We also need to get to your 'base of operations, I fear we have done Ladybug more harm than good...Now that Hawkmoth," she said the word as though it were alien, distaste evident, "knows who your contact is, I doubt we have a day before she is found." 

The chill in Aditi's voice was kept to a minimum, but she couldn't keep a bite of fury from her words. 

"I know you're angry with me," Samir began. 

"Oh! How astute of you!" She said almost shrilly, her eyes bulging.

"You almost got us, _including_ Diya and Karun, killed!" Her icy demeanor was thawing, anger bubbling to the surface like lava.

"I will never forgive myself for that as long as I live. But my love, would you have done any different?" 

It was the wrong thing to say. They were in the middle of the sidewalk, the odd passerby glancing but not intervening, for the most part ignoring the battered couple spitting at each other in Hindi. 

"Because of you, not only were we almost killed, but now Ladybug, the only person capable of taking down the man who almost killed our son, is about to die. Maybe, Samir, you shouldn't agree to protect such an important person if you have so much to lose!" She spit the last words at him, spinning to continue walking. 

He caught up to her, "I had to my love, I had to!" 

"Why did you have to?" She stopped, fixing him with an incredulous stare.

"I was--I" 

"More secrets?" 

Samir's splutters died, "I-well, I can't say," 

If she hadn't have been awear of the gash across his forehead Aditi would have slapped him into next week. 

"Let's go." She spat, "you lead the way."

* * *

Approaching the yellow washed motel from the back, A tall young woman froze, her ears pinned on a faint cry. 

She listened for a moment to someone shreaking swear words, and then mildly buttoned her jacket. The silenced pistol in her holster was hidden from view. 

Up onto the cracked sidewalk and around the building she walked. She paused and leaned naturally against a wall. A hand in a pocket, a heavy boot against the brick, she peered into the window beside her. 

A middle aged maid was standing, shocked, in the center of the room, taking in the broken furnishings and the blood spattered across the carpet. 

The woman pondered what to do, running one gloved finger idly across the tiny butterfly embroidered onto her coat. She could feel the heavy weight of the gun against her side. But...it was not needed. The bullets were not for the maid.

She turned nonchalantly and walked away. She had been too late to get rid of the husband and wife. To her, at least, it was not a loss. And perhaps Hawkmoth wasn't on a need to know basis. A glimmer of a grin broke through the placid, pointed features, but it was gone in an instant. 


	33. Fluke of providence

The lust after meaning of life didn't entice Marinette as it did many of her other more superstitious counterparts, she had been given her meaning to her in a little octagonal box at the age of thirteen.

She didn't query after the divine, didn't shirk from faces of apparent evil.

Well rounded and well meaning, Marinette didn't hold a reverence or fear of karma or luck, didn't knock on wood or toss salt.

But when she looked out of the glass plated window as unbreakable as the barrier a writer faces when sitting down to put pen to paper, she saw slinking down an ally, a black cat. It turned out of sight, its tail flicking teasingly. 

She pressed her hands gently to the glass and peered out, willing the cat to come back. Breath filled seconds passed, the window fogging, her chest rising in anticipation of an omen she reminded herself she did not believe in.

The cat returned. It sat placidly in the shadow of a stairwell and licked its paws eagerly, grooming its ears. Chat Noir used to do that. Flick his hair back to scratch his pointed, leather plated ears. He did it usually to make Ladybug laugh. Sometimes though, she would catch him preening out of habit. She would laugh and he would turn red, and then flirt, _"Hygiene furrst M'lady"_

The cat didn't mind Marinette, who had her whole body pressed against the glass now. She was high above it, watching every tiny move as though this grungy ally cat could change her circumstance.

It looked like Chat, she decided. The cat's eyes were the same bright green as his were. It fixed her with a calculating gaze, as though wondering what to make of her. 

She knew she must look a mess, but a cat could hardly tell. 

"Come here, _matou"_ She coaxed, tapping the glass with a finger. The cat locked her gaze for a moment. It seemed to lose interest, rolling on it's belly, perhaps ignoring her, perhaps putting on a show. 

_"You know if I sneeze when we get married our marriage is sure to be a happy one?" Chat asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Ladybug._

_"Well then I'll make sure to wear a feather dress" Ladybug replied, remembering the Mister Pidgeon debacle._

  
_"Is that a yes, My lady?" his eager retort made Ladybug sigh, though her eyes twinkled, "why do you believe in superstitions like that anyway, Chat Noir?"_

  
_"Why don't you, Ladybug?"_

  
_"You're making them come true yourself, because you expect them to."_

_"Why wouldn't I want that to come true?"  
She poked him in the ribs, "Most superstitions are rooted against you, you know?" She giggled. _

_"I'll have to make new one's then my lady."_

Marinette watched the cat roll around on the cement, not evil, not a warning, and if a sign, not one unlucky.

At least to her, the cat was an omen of good. 

Her exhilaration at seeing a semblance of familiarity was quenched when she reached down to snap the locks on the window and lift it to talk to the cat.

She was not able to unlock the window, her hands shook as she tried to make them obey her, but it seemed they followed someone else's orders now. 

She turned away from the cat. It didn't care. It was after all, a cat, not Chat Noir. It continued grooming itself, lazily watching a bird arc across the sky. 

Marinette sat down on the bed. Her hands she noticed, were trembling. She fumbled with them, forcing them to be still.

She was trapped like a bug in the center of hawkmoth's web of deceit and odious plans. She was powerless. When she had been traveling with Alexander she had imagined saving Tikki from Hawkmoth and defeating him once and for all. 

But Tikki was not with Hawkmoth. She had not, as Alexander had assumed, been captured by Number 1. And this was another thing Marinette had to worry about. Where had Tikki gone, if not captured from the hotel? 

Even before she had ever known of Tikki or had her agility and strength, Marinette had never felt as powerless. She had always been able to rely on herself, always been able to follow through and get the work done. She prided herself on her ability, Ladybug or not.

But now, when everyone and everything else fell through, as it so often did, she couldn't rely on herself. Couldn't fight when her own body betrayed her and fought on Hawkmoth's behalf. She lay back on the duvet, hands still clasped, the trembling had stopped. 

_She was sitting under an apple tree. Her head was pounding, a dull throb. She knew Alexander was wrong. Knew he had overreacted and lashed out, trying to be hurtful. It didn't make his words any less sharp. She was crying freely, tears coursing down her face._

_She reached for her satchel. In her bag was her old design book. Just the shell. Inside was a crumpled old napkin, the remnants of a yellow flower turned brown, and a photograph of Chat Noir._

_She knew he would never have hurt her. Never have expected anything from her. And she had left him. She should have tried to contact him after she had found Alexander._

_He could have traveled with them. Could have helped her find Pilolla. She traced a finger across the photo, a tear fell onto it which she quickly wiped away._

_Uncrinkling the napkin exposed the smeared charcoal depiction of a vinyard. Mari swallowed thickly, and tucked the dried flower behind her ear._

_It had died long ago, she imagined they were akin in that way._

_she thought of Lila, thought of Alya, thought of Chat. And the tears fell more rapidly._

_Across the bank was a ferry departing, opposite the ferry was a bridge. For one brief moment she considered it, left or right? Float or sink?_

_She was sad. And sadness is a paralytic._

_she was frozen, struck by a sudden indecisiveness._

_But she shook her head, the flower crumbled to dust. She would not crumble. Perhaps she and the flower were not so similar._

_In her hand was the crumpled note from Alexander. It was supposed to tell her where to go, who to meet. It was tear stained and unreadable._

_Nevertheless, she would continue her journey to take down Pilolla and Hawkmoth, only this time, she would fight with Chat by her side._

_She had only just begun to stand when a papilionaceous_ _shadow crossed over her. It was small and familiar, looking up she saw a dark moth fluttering about her._

_She yelped out in shock, tried to bat it out of the way, but it was too late. The Akuma touched her photograph of chat, and dissappeared._

_She fell back onto her elbows, terrified. But nothing transformed...nothing changed._

_Horror struck and confused she tried to stand up and found herself staring at a pair of black shined shoes._

_she followed them up, up the red starched pant legs, up the grey waist coat and cream suit jacket, past the razor sharp necktie, and into the face of a man who she held no ill will toward, but who made her recoil in shock all the same._

_"M-mister Agrest!" She yelped, trying to hide her tears, the picture of Chat Noir crumpling slightly in her hand._

_"Ms. Dupain Cheng."_

" _I-I, how are you here? What's going on? Where's Adrien?" Gabriel held up a hand and Marinette stopped talking._

_"I'm afraid, Ladybug, that I will be the one talking."_

_Marinette almost didn't notice what he had called her, still picturing the butterfly._

_"I- wait" she looked into his face, it was lined and grey, but a smile tugged at his lips. The fear she experienced next was alike to falling off a skyscraper, and if she hadn't already been on the ground she would have fallen._

_"I am Hawkmoth and you work for me now."_

_Over the next two and a half minutes Gabriel explained to her what she was to do, and she found herself complying._

_"Now...go and wait for my son."_

_She stood and walked, almost floated toward the bridge._

_As she looked out at the dark expanse of swirling water she wondered if what Alexander had said rang true._

_What was it he had said? Nothing is permanent? Existence is endless, but no state good or bad lasts forever? Maybe this was the end of a bad state. Maybe she would be cherry blossom, or else a ladybug._

_She thought of the charcoal sketch Alejandro had made for her of his family and his vinyard. Maybe it had been a sign._

_She had wondered at the time why it had felt so powerful: while he was away on exciting adventures he was fantasizing about his home. Maybe she should have taken the hint and returned to her's. To Chat. To Adrien. To Alya and her parents._

_She leaned down and pressed her forehead to the bars. She wasn't sure if she believed in the divine, had never asked for them before, she didn't know if it was all fate or chance, but by one or the other she was about to find out._

_When she climbed over the bars she heard someone scream 'wait', and her heart broke into a thousand pieces._

_She spun, unable to fight the current of control Gabriel had weaved around her. She let go._

When Number 3 came in to redress Marinette's wounds she found her quite calm. She was lying on the bed, her hands folded neatly, staring up at the ceiling and somehow through it. 

It had only been a matter of time. 

Marinette felt her hands being tenderly wrapped, felt herself sit up, help change the bandages.

But she knew she was not there. Not really. She was with the black cat out the window. Was with the boy who believed her to be dead. 

Rain spattered against the windows and she continued to exist only in her head.


	34. Nathalie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EEEEEEEeeee!

It had taken Adrien hours to cross the city. People ignored him, possibly thinking he was just another tourist.

If anyone would have inspected him closer they would have realized he was not just an ordinary Parisian on holiday, but perhaps someone with a present too troubled to be bothered with sightseeing.

Indeed he looked torn and weary, was wearing frayed shoes and a hoodie too large. His knuckles were red and his eyes bagged.

If he admitted it to himself, he was apprehensive. He had to concede that trying to fight Hawkmoth and Pilolla without Ladybug was stupid. It was more than likely that he would be killed before he could tell them exactly why he was exacting revenge against them.

But it wasn't like he was going to decide not to attack them. As far as he was concerned they had murdered Marinette, and he would go to the ends of the earth to avenge her, even if if meant he lost himself in the process. 

He arrived outside of a dingy doored, narrow trapezoidal building. It was several stories high, rather worse for the wear and slopped like a piece of aged camembert, the shutters sealed tightly shut. Adrien cautiously made his way to the front door. He placed his hand on the intricate brass oval handle, and holding his breath, turned it. It revolved smoothly, granting him access inside with a soft _click._

An orange lit hallway, rooms branched off, dusty plaques on the walls next to each door, languages he didn't know.

Adrien advanced cautiously, his soft footfalls muted by the chiming of a bell somewhere far off.

He passed numerous rooms, resisting his curiosity at what might be housed within. The shades on all the glass windowed doors were pulled. 

At the end of the hall though, a room caught his eye. This door was no different from the others, except the plaque was in French. 

" _la_ _pigeon"_

It literally meant, The Dove.

Adrien paused outside the door, pressing his ear to the pealing paint. Faint voices came from within. They seemed to grow nearer to him and he ducked around the corner just as the door was pulled open and two people exited. 

They continued down the hall where they climbed a set of gregorian stairs, obviously once elegant but worn from many years of rough passersby. They didn't notice Adrien hidden in shadows behind them.

He tiptoed around the corner again and pressed open the door. Inside was an expansive study. Deep red laquored floors, a mahogany desk, messy stacks of papers at odds with the rich ambiance of the room. Adrien stepped in, his mouth dry.

The papers were useless to him, written in many different languages. He licked his lips and began opening drawers. Who were these people who had ambushed his car in the mountains? Why had they known of the Miraculous book, and more importantly, how had they known his father had it?

Finding nothing of use he quietly shut the drawers. He was almost out of the room when someone stepped in front of him, blocking the exit. 

He jumped back in alarm, the person was a man, broad shouldered and tough. 

They stood in silence for a minute, Adrien's heart beating hard. Then, the man motioned for Adrien, "Come with me." 

Swallowing, unsure if he should listen but seeing no better alternative, Adrien followed. 

Three stories up they stopped, the sour faced man pushed open a door and motioned Adrien to enter. When he cautiously edged inside the man shut the door behind him. Adrien could hear the creak of the stairs as he went back downstairs.

Standing in the center of the room, staring out the window, was a young man. He wasn't much older than Adrien by the looks of it. 

"Who are you?" Adrien asked. The man turned, his face impassive. 

"You can call me T. And may I just say, it's an honor to meet you, Chat Noir."

* * *

Alexander wasn't prone to fear. He had been shot in the war, had used his fellow teens bodies as cover from sniper bullets, he had lost two sisters and survived multiple attempts on his life outside the war. 

But now, with Chat Noir's face just inches away from his he knew if he wasn't very careful he was history. He recognized the imbalance of power, and was not eager to challenge it. 

They were in the planning room, maps plastered the walls, thread reaching from point to point across the charts. A large table was in the middle, facing a large screen showing the mission dossier. 

Adrien Agrest was holding him up by his collar, and his eyes were dark. 

"Where is she?" The growl that reverberated throughout the room didn't sound like Adrien's. It was angry and wild, the fear of losing yet another. 

"We don't know." The words were the best Alexander could muster, though they were the ones Adrien had been braced to hear. 

"You take Ladybug with you to China to fight Hawkmoth without her Kwami! Not telling me, her partner. And then you lose her here? In the city where Hawkmoth and Pilolla might be strongest?" Adrien raged, shoving Alexander away from him. 

"She never showed up to the drop point." Alexander said darkly. There was no point beating around the bush, "The woman she was supposed to meet, Lihua Huang, went missing last night, but not before informing us that Ladybug did not arrive." 

Adrien kicked a chair back and sat down. T swallowed and followed suit.

"You're going to tell me everything you know." 

Alexander nodded. He could have said no, but after he had screwed up so colossally by laying hands on Ladybug he knew this was his chance to fix it and find her.

He privately thought Chat Noir didn't need to know that little detail. Quite apart from not wanting to get ripped limb from limb, Alexander was ashamed to admit what he had done. 

"I will tell you what I know."

Adrien nodded, "First bring me to Natalie."

Alexander agreed. 

* * *

They stepped out of the room and T motioned for Adrien to follow him. 

Down many narrow hallways, past more shuttered doors they walked. One was ajar, Adrien caught a glimpse of an Indian couple, battered and bruised, speaking to someone behind a desk. 

They passed the room and continued. Up another set of stairs and down another hallway until T stopped suddenly. 

he swung open a door and allowed Adrien in. Adrien glared darkly at him before T shut the door, leaving Adrien alone. 

Across the room were French doors swung open, the afternoon sun casting light into the otherwise shady room. Adrien didn't notice anything else about the room because Nathalie was standing in front of him. 

Maybe it was that he hadn't seen anyone familiar in so long, maybe it was because he hadn't seen _her_ in so long, but in a moment Adrien was in her arms, his face buried against her shoulder, his arms wrapped tightly around her. 

"Adrien!" She exclaimed, staggering back from his weight. 

"You're alright," Adrien said, his voice muffled. Immediately her stiff posture softened, and her hands rested against his back soothingly, "I'm alright,"   
He pulled back and was surprised to realize there was a hard lump in his throat. 

"I didn't know who these people were, I didn't know that they were on our side, I-" Immediately Adrien froze, "How-how much have they told you?" He asked. Nathalie sighed. It was only then Adrien realized there were deep bags beneath her eyes, darker than they had been the last time he had seen her. 

"Let's sit down, Adrien." 

Nathalie motioned for a plush chair and he sunk into it, only now feeling a modicum of the security that had been ripped away from him weeks ago. 

She sat opposite him, poker straight, her eyebrows tensed. It seemed she was unsure what to tell him, but after a minute she began, "It was immediately after I was captured that I realized I didn't need to fight them." Her hands folded in her lap, "I was told...a lot." 

Adrien tracked her gaze to a spot on a coffee table. 

"Like-like what?"  
"Do you know what this place is, Adrien?" 

"T told me it is 'resistance' Run by someone called, the Dove...They fight against Hawkmoth and Pilolla. But I don't know why I-" Immediately Adrien stopped himself. Wondering aloud why he, Adrien Agreste, didn't know about this secret headquarters dedicated to trouncing Hawkmoth was a little too close to revealing his identity. 

But, "I know who you are, Adrien." 

Several seconds passed in which he stared at her, his mind working furiously on what to say. When all he could manage was shocked silence Nathalie spoke again, "And I want to say...how proud I am of you." It was stiff and awkward, but never-the-less, they were words Adrien had never heard. 

He was leaning forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped, obviously troubled, but when he heard her words his eyes snapped up to hers. 

She continued, "You have saved Paris so many times, seen so much, survived so much. It's more than anyone should have to face, especially someone as young as you, and-and so" she took a deep breath, "I'm proud of you, Adrien. And I always have been, Chat Noir or no." 

Adrien thought it was the most he had ever heard her say at one time. Certainly the most sincere. 

"Thank you...Nathalie." And to his horror he felt his eyes moisten. He quickly dropped his gaze to his feet. 

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. 

He pressed his palms to his eyes, remembering what he was supposed to ask her. Wondered if she would tell him now she knew what Gabriel might be. 

"I need you to tell me where Father is."   
He said, his head still in his hands. 

There was silence. 

"I-I need to talk to him. If he really does know something about Hawkmoth, I- I need to know."

"What's happened, Adrien?" Her tone was urgent. 

He didn't know if he could tell her. How could he when even he still refused to believe it. 

He looked back to her, his voice was deep from suppressed emotion. 

"Do you remember my friend, Marinette?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Well, she..." he cleared his throat, "she was kidnapped, you remember? And then her family got a note saying she was dead." 

Nathalie was very still. 

"I found out that she wasn't. And-and the person she was taken by was Hawkmoth." He couldn't stop talking now he had started, he had to make it to the end, had to make Nathalie understand. 

"I was looking for Ladybug, but I found Marinette instead." Nathalie stiffened.

"Whatever Hawkmoth and Pilolla did to her must've-must've f*cked her up, because when I found her I was too late." 

"What do you mean Adrien?" Nathalie asked, a note of horror in her voice.

"Nathalie, she jumped." And his eyes sought hers, looking for some strand of comfort to stop him from spinning back into the dark void he had been lost in.

"I-I-I went in after her," his voice broke, "but I couldn't find her. It was all I could do to get out of that river before I drowned. A-And-" But he couldn't talk anymore. He tried but his throat was now so constricted that no noise could escape. 

Nathalie was next to him in an instant, a hand on his back rubbing circular motions, as if a mother. 

He flung his arms around her, and she reciprocated awkwardly, trying to comfort him even as a dark cold wave of fear spread throughout her body. _So that was why Ladybug hadn't met Lihua Huang. Because...she was dead._

And one thought overpowered all other reason, she could not tell him Marinette was Ladybug. It might just be his undoing. 

"And Ladybug is here too. She didn't make it to where she was supposed to be, what if _he_ has her? I need you to tell me where he is."

"Absolutely not." She said, and stood up. 

He looked up at her, "I will find him." 

"Not with my help. You're staying here tonight, I'm sure we can find you a room." She was brisk and businesslike, though her voice quavered slightly, "t-the resistance will find them, and I promise you they will pay for what they've done. But not tonight." 

He rose. "Nathalie, " 

"No. Adrien. You can talk to the leaders in the morning, believe me, Hawkmoth will get what is coming to him, but you need to rest." 

As she said it the dull pain in his ribs throbbed more insistently. 

He wiped his face, his long fingers shaking as he pressed them to his eyes, his silver ring glinting in the setting sun's light. He stared into space for a moment before turning back to her, now composed. He smiled at her, a sad smile. A smile she knew very well. A smile she knew wasn't a smile. He was back to who he was before: polite, resigned to obedience.

And she could see how it broke him. 

But right now she would allow him to suffer a little longer if it meant there was a little longer that he was not in danger. 

When she sent him out to find a room she shut the door with a click. 

And her composure broke. She slid down the wall her hand cupping her mouth to silence the anguish. Ladybug was dead.

She knew Gabriel Agreste better than anyone. She had been his personal assistant for six years. If he really was Hawkmoth and had already defeated Ladybug, she knew there was no power on earth that could stop him. 

The room was almost completely dark now, and Nathalie stayed crumpled against the wall. If anyone, ANYONE, else was Hawkmoth she would celebrate. It would mean Adrien was in less danger. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a set of guidelines for this book I swear! But every time I write it I find new ways it could go. In all honesty it was supposed to end about five chapters ago, but now the end isn't in sight anymore, mostly because I have some ideas I want to try out. This book is an experiment and I hope you will stick with me to the end! 
> 
> I love feedback of all kinds, and I do mean all kinds. So if you have criticisms just be honest. Nice comments are always good too though. 
> 
> Just please interact, ive been working on this for several years now (I know, it could be better if I've put so many years work into it. Also if I spent half as much time writing real books as opposed to fanfiction my life might go somewhere) But I digress. 
> 
> Just show me you're here plz?


	35. Akuma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MARINETTE IS NOT IN PARIS. She is still in Lhasa, I just want to make sure that is clear to everyone. I would have published a few more chapters but I had to have surgery yesterday and im still feeling kind of logy. I'll update again soon though, hope you enjoy. 

Marinette paced back and forth between the four walls she had been confined to for the last day and a half. Hawkmoth had not visited her again. If it weren't for the sleek and nimble woman who occasionally checked in on her, Marinette might have thought she had been forgotten. 

Somehow it was more comforting to think that she might be stuck within this room forever than to be used to fight in a battle to defeat her companions. 

She walked from one side of the room to the next, examining nondescript objects as if she were inside an escape room with no time limit. Not to her surprise, she found nothing that could be of use in an escape attempt. 

She held a dark power inside her. A power that was temporarily harnessed, though from the way it beat against her chest she feared it might not be so easily contained in the future. The Akuma had infected her, she knew it. Over the past few hours she had felt it's power grow. A parasite that could initially only survive with her, but one she was sure would no longer need her soon. 

It was what was forcing her to stay docile, obedient. She had tried to fight it, tried to force the sickness from her body and mind, but it clung on, a scratch that was impossible to itch. 

She had begun to fear even thinking about it, even allowing it that small space in her head to grow and manifest itself quicker. So she paced. For something to do. For something to focus on. 

It took twelve steps to cross from one wall to the next, nine if she strode. She focused on each one, as if it could grant her mercy. As if with each foot fall she could knock the Akuma from her body. 

She knew where it was. She knew where it waited, it's poison piercing her heart. 

It rested in her breast pocket, in the picture of Chat Noir. It was both the force she was fighting against, and the man she was fighting for. She willed herself to tear the picture in two, screamed in her mind, shouted and jumped up and down and tore at her hair, yelling for her body to cooperate. But instead of listening she took another step, and then another, the Akuma safe in the pocket of its enemy. 

Why was she acting like this though? She wondered for the millionth time. This was not normal Akumatized victim behavior. Hawkmoth always gave his victims a choice. But Marinette had not been given that choice. Had not been able to say no to the moth. She had been in effect taken over. Her free will stunted.

Hawkmoth must be receiving outside help, she concluded. He never had this power before. Someone must be giving him strength, must be helping him defeat Ladybug. 

Pilolla. The man without a face. The man trapped in Drapchi prison for the last six years. How could he be helping Hawkmoth? But more importantly, why? 

What did the pair of them want? 

Surely, _surely_ , Hawkmoth hadn't outsourced his domination of Paris to this dangerous super criminal just to get his wife back? Why would Pilolla allow himself to get sucked into a war for one woman he knew nothing about? 

No, there was something bigger at play here. Something more than Hawkmoth was letting on. He must have promised Pilolla something in exchange for his help in capturing Ladybug.

Marinette knew there was so much she couldn't yet see, and even more frightening than the idea that she was in the dark about so much that might happen was the deductions she could make about the future based on Hawkmoth's current actions. 

If Hawkmoth had gone through so much just to bring Ladybug down, didn't it make sense for him to go after Chat Noir as well? Chat Noir who probably had no idea that Ladybug was in trouble. How inconvenient it was that he had to go on a trip right when Marinette left Paris.

She needed to warn him that Hawkmoth might be coming after him, but it was impossible. 

She didn't know where he was or who he was under the mask and she had no way of communicating any secret messages to him under the nose of Hawkmoth. 

Chat Noir, who only weeks ago she had kissed under the stars as if they were in some renaissance fairy tale, might even now be being approached by Gabriel Agreste, a tattered butterfly hovering not far off. 

The track Marinette had continually paced had worn a path in the dust. 

She forced herself to sit. One of the few actions she could still partake in at her own behest. 

And there was yet another problem. If Hawkmoth could not find Tikki, what would happen to her?

Marinette cringed at the thought. As of right now she was practically worthless to Hawkmoth. With no Miraculous Qwami she was just another ordinary school girl. She doubted if she would have any practical use in the inevitable Hawkmoth uprising. If Tikki wasn't found...she was as good as dead. 

Marinette worried at her lip, biting down hard as if to remind herself she still existed. 

The alternative...finding Tikki...was somehow worse. Because then a divine god would be stuck under the control of a mortal man with a power complex. Forcing the god of Creation to destroy...Marinette cringed. She didn't want to consider what might happen. 

Neither of the two possibilities sounded pleasant. She would either become redundant, and swept off the board, or she would become a white queen. Creation turned destruction. 

Marinette's thoughts were interrupted by the door swinging open. Immediately she stood, breath hitching, eyes wide, death possibly a second away. 

Gabriel Agreste nodded to her as he entered the room. 

"What do you want?" She spat with as much venom as she could muster.

"Well now I have you here it seems pointless to allow you to keep any vital information from me."  
Marinette's eyes widened but Gabriel ignored her. He took his seat on a folding chair and triangled his hands in a thoughtful manner. 

Cutting to the chase he spoke, "I am going to ask you some questions and you will answer them with complete truth...How did you escape Number 1 on the rooftop in Germany?" 

Marinette quirked an eyebrow up, "He was weak." 

"And where did you go after you derailed our plan?"  
"An Alleyway." She answered immediately, though seemingly not because she was compelled but because she found humor in dragging out the questioning.

"And after that?" 

"A car." 

"And whose car was it?" 

"Most likely the person's driving it."

Gabriel kept his tone neutral, though there was some annoyance in his gaze. 

"And pray tell, who was driving?"   
"A man." 

"What was the full name of this man?"  
"I never spoke to him." 

"Time passes and I grow weary Miss. Dupain-Cheng. What is the name of the person who helped you after you escaped Number 1?" 

"Whatever his father named him most likely." 

Gabriel closed his eyes for a brief moment before smiling. They were always like this at first: cocky, arrogant. It would not remain this way for long.

"How did he introduce himself to you?" 

There was silence for a moment as Marinette tried to work around the question, Gabriel was sure he had gotten her this time but then, "the same way he introduces himself to everyone else presumably." 

"Which is?" Gabriel asked, a bite of impatience in his voice now. 

"Politely?" Marinette asked, her eyes glinting in amusement, a harried, strained giggle escaping her. She fell back almost immediately when he stood up however, her delight quickly fading from her face, her brow now knitted in worry. 

He towered over her, and when he took a step forward she took one back, her hands reaching behind her, grabbing the window sill for support. 

"Step forward, Ladybug." he said in a measured voice. Marinette drew herself up to her full height before complying, as though it was her choice. 

"I know who you are." He said. She said nothing, though he knew she understood his insinuation. 

"I know who your parents are." 

Again she said nothing, quick breaths were the only sounds punctuating the otherwise silent room. 

"I know who your friends are...And I know how to exploit my knowledge." 

There was worry in Marinette's face, but she leaned forward, speaking just as quietly and calmly as he was, "But I think, that if you didn't mind making a scene, you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of making my kidnapping look like a suicide."

She smirked at him, "But sure, destroy your weeks of hard work just because I won't give you a name." 

And Gabriel did the most frightening thing he could have done just then: He smiled. It reached his eyes in almost a manic way, as though he had been waiting for her to try and take the upper hand. 

"Ladybuggg..." He said almost tauntingly, "This is a yes or no question, were you helped by a man named Alexander?"

And Marinette's face fell. She knew she couldn't get out of this one, "Yes." her mouth betrayed her. 

Gabriel straightened, his eyes darkening for a moment, A dangerous glint flashing across them. 

Marinette knew she had lost that round. She didn't give up. 

"How is Adrien? Have you told him who you are yet? Have you told him who you've hurt? Who you've killed for his Mother?"   
Marinette spat at him as he turned away. She ran around him, poking him in the chest though she knew the action posed no real threat. 

Gabriel sneered down at her like she was vermin. He didn't answer her question and instead asked one of his own. 

"Can you sense the Akuma yet?" 

Marinette's face darkened, her eyes hardening. 

"If not you will. Soon it will be a big enough part of you that it will take over. You will be lost." Gabriel smiled at her and she glared daggers at him. 

"You are a horrible man! A monster! You will-" But Gabriel cut her off with a finger to his lips. 

"I think you don't need to talk anymore, no? How does a good few months without speech sound to you?" And smiling slightly he left, leaving her red faced, furious, and completely mute.

And for a moment it felt as though there were Akuma wings beating against her chest in place of a heart.


	36. Let's fucking avenge her

Adrien woke sharply. He yelped in pain and promptly rolled off his bed. Flushed and annoyed he jumped up, tripping over the hem of the blanket and into someone's legs. 

Straightening up, ready for a fight, he immediately froze when he realized just who was in front of him. 

Nino stood before him, grinning broadly, a pillow clutched tightly in his hands, poised to strike again. Alya beside him. 

Adrien was on his feet at once, "Nino" he exclaimed delightedly and Nino let out a yell of jubilation and hit him again. 

Adrien stumbled again, now landing on the bed. 

"Alya!" He addressed happily, throwing a pillow at Nino before standing up.

They both caught him in a hug. 

"What the heck are you guys doing here?!" He asked bemusedly as they pulled away. 

"We came to find you, dumbass" Alya grinned, punching his arm lightly.

"Do your parents know you're here?" 

Alya scoffed and leaned against Nino, "you're one to talk." 

"But how'd you get here?"  
  
"We flew dude, my portkey is busted." 

Adrien gave Nino a dry look. 

"For a secret organization it's not that hard for people to find it." Adrien grumbled and immediately realized he had slipped up. Alya's eyes were already widening to dinner plate proportions. 

"Secret organization, huh?" She asked eagerly. Nino backed her up, "What type of secret organization?"   
Adrien fumbled with what to say for a minute before Alya gave him a very flat look and said, "You know we will find out other ways."

Adrien realized he had two options. He could either refuse to tell them and look super suspicious when Alya and Nino undoubtedly discovered the truth, or he could pretend to be as shocked by it as they were. 

"Okay okay, you won't believe this! Adrien motioned for them to sit down, hitching a smile onto his face. Alya sat, pulling Nino along with her. They sat on the edge of Adrien's bed, hand in hand, as though the rollercoaster was about to begin.

"This place is a base of operations of a group of people trying to take down Hawkmoth." He paused, allowing Alya a few hyper exclamations before he continued, "Apparently there's another kind of freaking villain that Hawkmoth is working for!" 

  
"What the f- Hawkmoth? Like Hawkmoth Hawkmoth?" Alya exclaimed.

"Like Hawkmoth Hawkmoth" Adrien confirmed.

"Dude! Why the hell is Nathalie here?" 

Adrien was stopped in his tracks. He couldn't tell them why. She was here because the Resistance had been trying to capture Gabriel Agreste, but when they failed they figured Nathalie was the next best option. When they were sure she was not working with Gabriel Agreste they had promptly released her. She had stayed with them though. If Adrien was in danger she would fight her boss without a seconds hesitation. 

"Umm well, that's," his still sleep filled brain couldn't formulate a diversion fast enough, and Alya was already on his case.

"Agreste! Tell us now damnit!" There was amusement in her voice which faded away when she inspected his face. 

He had broken character for a moment, and it was suddenly very hard to go back. His father would have been displeased, _'we always appear perfect, Adrien.'_ He would instruct. 

But Adrien wasn't perfect. He didn't feel perfect. He felt like he had been blindfolded and hung as a piñata. 

Adrien stammered, his smile gone. He tried valiantly to bring it back, but instead he ended up cringing at the look of concern on Alya and Nino's faces. 

He sighed. 

"Alright," He fell back onto the bed, propping himself against the wall, "I haven't told you guys why I ran away yet,"  
"It was to find Marinette, right?" Nino asked. 

"Yes, but there's another reason," He said hastily, "My car was attacked."   
  


So he told them the whole story and by the end of it their mouths were hanging open. Adrien distinctly saw Alya's hand twitch for her phone, no doubt itching to update the LadyBlog. But she refrained. He was glad. Paris was already angry with Ladybug and Chat Noir for leaving them high and dry, he didn't need more attention, and his dad possibly being in cahoots with Hawkmoth was no small thing. 

By now Alya's lips were pursed and she was pacing. The journalist in her was working over every detail and Adrien was not grateful for it. 

Even though he was involved in the conversation, even though he was listening to their discussion, he wasn't completely interested. He couldn't think about Hawkmoth, couldn't even worry about his dad, when there was a much worse situation before him. Because Alya and Nino still didn't know. 

He didn't know how he could tell them. He hadn't even begun to tell himself. Hadn't fully registered it yet. How was he supposed to pass on knowledge he didn't even understand? He knew he had to, but he every second that Alya talked animatedly to him about Gabriel was a second of relief, because she wasn't thinking about Marinette for that moment. For that moment everything was fine. But it was a moment. And it would end. 

"So Ladybug and Chat Noir go missing, you and your dad get attacked by people from THIS organization, your dad might be _hawkmoth?!_ I mean-" She stopped suddenly, glancing at him, "How are you doing?" And her tone was sincere. 

Adrien ran his hands through his shaggy blonde hair, "Alya." His voice was so quiet that she stopped pacing, her brows knitted together. 

"I need to tell you guys something." 

How drastically the atmosphere changed. 

"There was an accident." He had said it. And now there was no air in the room. He struggled to draw breath, struggled to meet Alya's gaze which was daring him to continue. 

"I went looking for Marinette." This was partially true, he had been looking for Ladybug when he had found Marinette. But it wasn't important. 

"Adrien?" Her tone was guarded.

Adrien tried to suck more air into his lungs but the room was like a vacuum. 

"And I found her." 

"You found her?!" Nino all but shouted, but Alya was deathly quiet, staring at him, her breath caught. 

"Alya," He finally managed to meet her gaze, a tear clinging from his eyelashes, "she jumped off a bridge." 

The next second was frozen, "Is she alive?" a breathy, desperate question.

Adrien's silence was enough of an answer. 

"No-" The sound was all but gargled, Alya fell forwards onto her knees, reaching out to catch onto the bed. 

And the scene broke. Alya howled, Adrien covered his face with his hands, wishing he could be anyone else, have anyone else's loss because how could it be as painful as theirs?

Nino tried to help Alya up but she all but threw him away. Blindly, her hair in her face, she ran from the room. Retching as though she might throw up. 

It was Nino's turn to fall. He thudded next to Adrien whose hands were still covering his face. 

"She...she jumped?" 

He sounded small, scared. Marinette had been his best friend, before Adrien or Alya ever entered the picture. 

"You-you know how she was kidnapped? She escaped...I found her. If I had been one _goddamn_ minute earlier I could have stopped her." Adrien's voice was quiet, shaking. He was angry. 

"I-I thought there was a chance...just a chance she was alive." Nino's voice was thick, "I kept hoping that maybe, _maybe_ she'd be alright." 

"I'm going to get them." Adrien said, more to himself than anyone else, finally dropping his hands.

"Them?" 

"Hawkmoth and Pilolla. They're the ones who kidnapped her."   
"Why would they go after Marinette?"

Adrien didn't have an answer. 

"Nathalie might know where my father is. He might know who Hawkmoth and Pilolla are." 

There was a moment of silence, then Nino spoke, "I'm helping." 

Adrien turned his head, Nino was staring up at the ceiling. There were tear stains tracking from his eyes to his temples where they disappeared in his dark hair. But he looked determined. 

"Whoever hurt Marinette can go to hell, and I want to help send them there. Let's fucking avenge her." 

* * *

It was hours later. Alya sat in a small kitchen, her eyes rimmed red, clutching a cup of tea as though her life depended on it. 

Nathalie, Adrien, Nino, and T were all gathered around the table. 

"There is no reason for me to tell you the whereabouts of Mr. Agreste. Adrien, you're safe. That has only ever been my objective and I have no intention of sending you back into harms way. If anything I should go. Mr. Agreste still trusts me." Nathalie said coldly. 

"No," Adrien was quick to object, "He's my dad. Besides, as far as he knows you were kidnapped, how are you going to prove you're not under the influence of the Resistance?" 

Nathalie had no answer so T stepped in, "I could go." But Nathalie said, "No!" Darkly and with no hesitation which made Adrien curious. 

"Well we can't all go." Alya chimed in, her nose red and voice raw. 

"No one is going!" Nathalie ordered, feeling very much like a mother hen, an alien experience. 

"Wait," Nino interjected, "If you know where he is why haven't you gone after him already? Don't you have more people like him?" He nodded at T. 

"They tried once, it didn't go so well. If they couldn't even effectively capture Gabriel Agreste what's to say they could get Hawkmoth or Pilolla?" 

"I can go, I-" T began again, but Nathalie cut him off, "No. You know what happened to Kohara, even a Miraculous Wielder couldn't take Hawkmoth down. End of discussion. You're school children, all of you!" They all burst out angrily but Nathalie silenced them by speaking again, "This revenge mission is dangerous and deluded, and what chance do any of you have against Hawkmoth? I mean really?"   
There was no answer, but Alya burst out crying again and allowed Nino to wrap his arms around her. 

Adrien stood up and motioned Nathalie to follow him. They left the cramped little kitchen and Adrien shut the door behind him. 

Nathalie stood, poker straight and eyebrow raised, waiting for him to speak. 

"Father doesn't know I'm Chat Noir. If he did he would have done something by now."  
"Adrien..." 

"As far as he's concerned I ran away, teenagers run away sometimes. He probably thinks it's a mood and I'll come back any day. It's perfectly safe for me. I'll go in, figure out what I can. Any information I get will help the resistance right? Not just me."

Nathalie's usually impassive face was lined with worry. 

"Nathalie, it'll be okay." 

She sighed in defeat. What better idea did they have? 

Back in the kitchen they detailed their plans, Adrien, Alya, and Nino clumped together for what he really hoped was not the last time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh boy, buckle up, it's about to get bumpy. 


	37. Bad Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw: chapter is kinda dark, read at your own risk. 

Marinette tried. She tried so hard. Tried to signal Adrien. Tried to make him see her. She wasn't dead, and he was in danger. 

But her struggles were for naught. She threw herself against the wall over and over again, but over and over she veered at the last second, landing mutely on the floor. Compelled to make no noise.

She pulled herself up for the fourth time, winded but by no means about to give up. She braced herself, backing up several steps before charging head on at the wall.

If she could gain enough momentum maybe she would fall, maybe she could hit the wall without the Akuma flattening her efforts. But again she veered to the left at the last moment.

If only she could make a noise, something to alert the boy standing only fifteen feet away from her that she existed. 

Her brain ran in tight circles, she was dizzy from the fall, nautious from the Akuma. 

She had to--she had to--what did she have to do? 

Warn Adrien, Adrien who was just in the other room, talking to his father--Hawkmoth--completely, innocently unaware of the girl losing her mind mere feet away. 

Dazedly she yanked herself up again, nearly falling, frenzied yet completely silent as she attempted the stunt again. 

She fell routinely, not making a sound, though her cheek hit rather hard against the floorboards. The squeak of pain died before it reached her lips. 

The small mouse hole she had found earlier was not without its advantages, and Marinette scooted closer to it, her head pressing against the torn apart wall to peer into the other room.

Adrien's shoes were the first things she saw, and the sight brought her forcefully back to the classroom: she would be slumped with her head on the desk, still tired, the day just beginning, and he would walk into the room, his book bag hanging by his side. He would pause, as was their routine, until she looked up. She would straighten, shoes, then pants, then striped shirt, then Adrien. Adrien smiling his sunshine smile and giving her a small wave before sitting down. 

If she tilted her head just a bit more...but it was impossible, she couldn't see his face.

She stopped craning her neck, resigned to watching the two pairs of feet, one belonging to the love of her life and the other belonging to--she bristled--Hawkmoth. 

She forced herself out of her head--focus! What were they saying? 

"Where have you been after all this time Adrien?! I've been worried."

 _You liar!!_ Marinette growled in her head, the hand pressed against the wall curling: pink fingernails scratching against paint. 

"I was..." and there was a strain in his voice, as though he was quite as agitated as Marinette.

He had saved her life. He had jumped after her, caught her, took most of the hit. 

Guilt spun Marinette off course, making her miss his next words. 

He had saved her life selflessly; and now she couldn't save his. All she needed was one word. One word to let him know she was alive. Let him know he was in danger. 

But the word wouldn't pass her lips. As stubborn as she always had been this was taking it to new heights. 

Because she wasn't fighting the Akuma anymore. Or she was, but the lines between it and her were becoming blurred. 

_leave him, it doesn't matter._ The Akuma whispered in Marinette's voice. She shook her head as though to dislodge the it, but the Akuma had taken root. 

_Who cares if Hawkmoth wins, really? Would it be so bad?_

_YES!_ She defied stubbornly. 

Her attention was drawn back to the two men with a loud clang. 

Adrien was sitting now and Marinette could see his face. Stunned, disheveled, guant.

"Where is she?" He asked, his face twisted in a pain that could not be caused by physical injuries. 

_I'm in here! In here!_ She thought bitterly. 

_Not for much longer._ The voice taunted, stronger now. 

FOCUS!

Marinette got to her feet, leaning against the wall, almost pitching forward as though she were on a ship in a storm. 

She wiped her hair from her forehead, she was sweating, sick, looking around the room for anything to help her. 

_Help me!_

The large crystal orb!

Hawkmoth had given it to her only hours before. 

_"A present" he said, smirking with satisfaction as she took the large case gingerly into her arms, peering down through the tinted exterior into the eyes of a beautiful tiny pink god._

_Mari looked up at him, fire blazing in her soul, cradling the crystal as though a baby, stanced to fight, or maybe run. But Gabriel only laughed._

_"It's their fault, you know."_

_she looked down again, realizing there was a second qwami, a black one, his head bowed in sorrow. Chat Noir's qwami...but then..._

_She stepped forward, beside herself yet completely restrained. She gazed at him for so long he looked away, discomfort flitted across his face._

_He had Chat Noir?_

_At that moment Gabriel was surely lucky for the magic bond prohibiting her from causing him harm._

_Her eyes filled with tears of rage and fear. She switched her gaze from Hawkmoth to the Crystal still clamped in her grasp. As though she could save them. As though she were not the enemy._

_Plagg and Tikki's faces were enough to answer Marinette's unspoken question: they could not escape._

Now, as she gazed at Tikki, hands fitted around the orb, she tried again to speak. She mouthed soundessly to her quami: _Please help him._

But Tikki only rested her large antennaed head against the shape of Marinette's hand, shutting her large, blue-glass eyes. 

Trembling, Marinette replaced her hand with her head, their foreheads almost touching if only it weren't for that loathsome barrier. 

A scuffling from outside made Mari jump. 

focus!

Back to the wall: Adrien and Gabriel locked in a fight, Adrien stumbling, falling, Gabriel towering over him. Adrien close enough that if Marinette could stick her hand through she could graze his blond hair.

He tried to get up but then was knocked to the ground, Gabriel closer now. And then Hawkmoth saw her, blue eyes caught with blue eye. 

He yanked his son up by his neck, eyes locked with hers.

Adrien scrabbled against the gloved fingers crushing his windpipe, his body was bent oddly, feet not flat on the ground.

With a shout he was hurled against the wall which he hit with a crash that made the building shudder. 

A hint of a smirk broadening across Gabriel's face. 

Marinette leapt back as though scalded, pulling her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth, letting out a scream of nothing into the air, hands fisted in her raven black hair. 

Adrien was injured or worse, by his father no less, and Ladybug was here! Ladybug could help! 

Tears burned her cheeks, irritating her skin.

She pulled herself onto her bed, clamping her hands about her ears, curled in a ball, unable to face what was happening because she knew she couldn't help. 

And Chat Noir was gone! Chat was gone! She unwillingly bit her pillow to mute any noise, body taught with anguish, flinching with every thump that made the room shiver. Adrien fighting his father. 

Chat and now Adrien.

_They deserve it. Only Hawkmoth is on your side._

The pillow was switched with her hand. Botu pnishment for the notion and a painful effort to remind herself she was more than the thoughts. 

She breathed heavily, her pallor white, straining against the bonds making her subservient until she might have passed out. 

The noise stopped after a while.

The old building settled with a groan, the dust slowly drifting back to the floor after being thrown into a frenzy. 

Her head was still covered, still vainly trying to block out the world.

But she waited desperately for the sound of doors being thrown open. Adrien shouting her name. Her prison being breached and him grabbing her shoulders, pulling her close to him, whispering she was alright. 

Hawkmoth _had_ said she might start living in a dream world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm yeah. In case you can't tell: I am not doing wellXD 
> 
> (Anyone who can guess why I wanted to name this chapter Sweden gets a shout-out! Hint: bad place. Dont think about it too hard, it's stupid.)


	38. Bye

I'm discontinuing this book. I'm passing the writing off to someone on Quotev. Go check out my account: @richcolors

From there go to the comments section of Miraculously ladybug and the last chapter. You can continue getting updates on quotev from the new writer.


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